The 100
by insider0987
Summary: Bella's lived in outer space her entire life but when life sustainability is at its lowest she's forced to travel to Earth 20 years ahead of schedule with 99 other teenage prisoners of the ark. There, everyone is learning to survive on an Earth with no laws, no adults, and a startling realization that they're not alone and an enemy is lurking in the forest. (Based on TV show!)
1. Chapter 1

The narrow hallways I'd always loathed were mocking me with their reminder of how absolutely trapped I was. I was as good as dead; I knew it and they knew it. A cowardly part of me wished I was. I hurried forward; if there was a miniscule chance that I could not totally screw up my life I was damn well going to take it. In five minutes it would be lunch time and everyone would be crowding the hallways. Traffic would be hell and I was thankfully sneaky enough to get lost in it, all I had to do was buy myself some time.

I turned into a corridor I knew was typically busy during this time. It was the main hallway to get to the dining hall and everyone hung around here until the chiming of the lunch bell rang twice. It wasn't nearly as full as I had hoped it would be but I prayed it was enough. As I ran, the blurred faces of my neighbors seemed to engrave themselves into my conscious that I had managed to ignore this far. I knew they would probably never look at me the same way after they discovered my code breach but I also knew some of them would understand the desperation, that some of them had even thought of doing the same thing. Still, most of them would call me off as selfish and reckless. Right now I didn't need that. They didn't know. Their unbeknownst expressions just stared curiously as I sped passed them.

Two more minutes.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

My heart wouldn't shut up and neither would their boots.

My body moved faster as my mind lagged in the race of my life, distracted by worries of what they'd do to me. God, I was only 17. Maybe I wouldn't be tried as an adult although that's an unlikely hope. Please.

"Stop!"

Hell no.

I ran faster and I knew that the people watching would be putting the pieces together. I could only imagine the horrified look of my mother when she found out. Shit. I hoped she just knew that I did it for her, for them. I wasn't selfish for myself, I was selfish about the people I loved. I placed them above everyone else in here, but could you blame me?

The hallways were beginning to crowd more and for each body I saw my heart swelled with the hope that maybe I could make it. Please.

 _DING!_

 _DING!_

I almost burst into tears when the lunch bell sounded but my legs were doing the crying for me as I slowed my pace to match everyone else's. Bodies surged forward in hunger, the hunger my family was feeling. The hunger _everyone_ was feeling. They had to understand.

I had seconds. I yanked the rubber band out of my hair so hard I pulled a few strands with it. Knowing my face was flushed from running, I strategically covered most of it with my hair and then wrapped my arm around the person standing beside me, immediately creating a façade of engaged conversation.

They ran right passed me.

I couldn't believe it.

"Hey, Bella, what are you doing?" Great. The person whose arm was currently ensnared in a death grip via my hands was my ex boyfriend, Michael.

"Sorry, thought you were someone else. I'll see you later." Hopefully that was enough to not raise questions.

I didn't have a second to waste as I weaved my way through the crowds, erupting groans of protests from the people I passed. I tried to usher a quick sorry as I moved but I was only half aware of everyone else; my focus was the auburn haired woman about four yards away. I resisted the urge to call out for her and just continued in her direction.

I managed to reach her by the time she entered the dining hall.

"Mom," I choked out as I embraced her in a hug. She was frozen for a second, probably very startled but she didn't take long to ease into my arms. I couldn't afford to relish it for long, though. I was no fool and knew the Wardens would be on my back in minutes. There's surveillance everywhere. To not draw harmful attention to us, I tugged her into the line. Trying not to think about how this would most likely be the last meal I ate here, I sat us at the nearest table once our lunch cards were scanned. "I love you so much, Mom. I'm so sorry." Minutes to drench her in all of my guilt.

"Bella I don't-" God this is going to crush her already grieving heart.

"Mom I broke into the supply wing. I know: I'm a massive idiot. But I couldn't take it anymore, Mom. Their faces, your face. You're starving yourself so you can feed Rachael and Phil and I know you're dehydrated. Mom, I had to do something, anything, and I didn't know what else to do." Her guilty face hurt more than anything. This was not her fault. "It was supposed to work." I continued, "Bri was helping me but they caught her trying to deactivate the alarm and camera systems. I was already inside so I barely got away but they'll know it was me soon, though. I'm just so sorry."

Nothing could have prepared me for the utterly heartbroken look on her face. Dammit.

"No, no, Isabella, please," Her whispers of horror added to the torture of my heart.

"I don't know what they're going to do, Mom, but I'm 17 so-"

"No!" She gripped my shoulders and stared into my eyes with a piercing focus. "You know how strict they've gotten around here, especially with the resource shortage! What were you thinking? If someone's acting up they're gone! Bella, they're going to float you! I'll talk to Carlisle, I can try to fix this."

Shit.

I couldn't think of any way to get around this because there wasn't one; only a way through it. Unfortunately, the way through it was most likely going to be getting floated. I wasn't ready for death yet.

 _BOOM!_

The doors of the dining hall slammed shut, making everyone in the room jump. I saw a girl from my math class drop her lunch portion which was about the size of her palm. She looked at it, debating on picking it up but I knew the hunger would win. It won me.

"No one leaves!" General Sheerer snarled as he surveyed the bodies in the room. I knew he was searching for me but I had spent all my meager bravery on trying to get in the supply wing.

He stalked throughout the room, his boots thundering with every step. My heart synchronized with the sound as if it already knew my fate would be intertwined with the law. Mom glanced sideways at me and I knew what she was thinking because the same thoughts of suspense coursed through my head and seeped their way into my blood, spiking my adrenaline and igniting my skin aflame. I reached over and gripped her hand.

The General was incredibly intimidating; he had a tall muscular frame like an athlete that didn't get enough food, a salt and pepper whiskered mustache, and beady black eyes that would've matched his soul if he had one. He was a dick of a guy and the only reason he was chosen as General was because the Chancellor believed he could enforce the rules. That he did, too bad he lost a sense of justice along the way.

"Isabella Swan," He called, causing my heart to skip a very much needed beat. "Stand up." For a moment I debated on not moving but as soon as his hawk eyes landed on me I knew this was all for show. He knew where I was, he was just making an example of me. I had no other choice.

I squeezed my mom's hand one last time.

I pushed my chair away from the table, rising to my full height and meeting his stone face across the room. People gasped and among the crowd I made eye contact with Rachael. Her teary eyes were pinpricks of stabbing pain all aimed at my heart. I did it for you. They all whispered and I could only imagine what my mom was feeling. Dammit I'm so stupid.

General Sheerer strolled his way over to me, allotting me proper time to bask in humiliation. Asshole.

"Isabella Swan you are being restrained for the crime of trespassing and theft." Instead of taking out hand cuffs he surprised me by patting me down. Just as he suspected, he found two week's worth of food rations in the inside pocket of my jacket and slammed them all on the table as people bared witness. Tears were tumbling down my mom's face and I regretting looking, I regretted being selfish and stupid. "Turn around." He commanded. I was hot and misery was prominent on my face, body, and energy. I didn't dare look up again. Cool metal met my wrists and the knowing click of the cuffs signified the end of my fight. The end of me.

Eight hours later I was still in the cell. They had been gracious enough to give me dinner which I greedily devoured but those nine minutes passed quickly and the same worries that had been haunting me before returned.

Another hour went by.

Finally, when I had paced the room for the hundredth time the door of my cell opened.

"Turn around." A warden barked. As soon as I did she wasted no time in cuffing me and leading me out of the room.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

No answer.

We arrived in the dining hall; the only room big enough to hold everyone on the ark. An announcement was going to be made and it was important enough that they had the prisoners lined up in the back of the room. Seeing all their faces was depressing; all of them were younger than 18 who probably hadn't committed a crime bigger than fighting. I stood next to them.

The chancellor stood up at the podium in front of the room. Sitting behind him were the most important people on the arc; head scientist, head engineer, head mechanic, the general, and my mom: head doctor. She looked at the ground.

"Good evening, everyone." Chancellor Aro was a beloved man, he's the beautiful kind of leader that puts the best interest of his people as a prerequisite to any decision he makes. He's been re elected five years running and we still love him. Of course with the recent resource shortages and his election of Mr. Sheerer as head general, his popularity had waned a bit but I knew too many people loved him too much for it to be remotely harmful for him. "I'm aware that there's been recent unrest concerning food and water supply on the arc." Wow, he's finally publicly addressing it. "Tonight this is going to be settled. The council and I," He gestured in to the leaders of each department whom sat behind him, "have come to a decision. We are coming clean. There are currently 1,273 people on this arc and we have enough food and water to sustain everyone for another six months." Holy shit. Gasps were heard from everyone, including me. No one had any idea that life support had reached an all time low of practically nothing. "There is enough oxygen to last us five months." Fuck. This time cries of worry erupted and the wardens did their best to calm the currents of distress among the people. I couldn't help but wonder why my mom hadn't said anything to me. We were getting closer to our death as the days passed and she hadn't said a word to me. She was still staring at the ground. "We do not know whether life on Earth is habitable for us yet. Only 80 years have passed since the Nuclear War, the levels of radiation could kill us all before we even land. We are not risking the lives of 1,273 people with the hopes that our planned landing could be successful 20 years ahead of schedule. However, we have come up with a solution that is what's best for everyone. Tomorrow morning 100 people are going to be sent back to Earth with as many supplies as we can spare. We're going to put wristbands on them that will allow us to look at their vitals, showing us whether life on Earth is possible." Murmurs spread through the room but the Chancellor continued. "If everything goes well, the rest of us will follow, if not then we have extra time to come up with something else now that there's 100 fewer people on the arc using life support."

The "if not" really meant if they died. Well thanks, beloved Chancellor.

"Who are you sending?"

"I'm not going!"

"They're going to die!"

The line of prisoners stood still, the wardens in front of us were enough of a deterrence to keep us from bursting at the seams. Unfortunately, the others weren't coping too well with the news. I couldn't blame them; I was just as stunned. The idea of going back to Earth was a dream that many are looking forward to fulfilling… 20 years from now. No matter how tempting it is to be able to see the ocean and actually feel the sun on our face, it wasn't worth dying.

"I understand this idea can sound a little unsettling but we have gone through multiple options and this sounds promising. Dr. Swan has already completed aptitude testing assuring that the 100 are capable of withstanding the impact of landing and Dr. Cauis estimates that the living conditions on Earth are better than what we had originally expected at this time. That being said, we've decided that the 100 will be the prisoners."

No.

No.

My lungs. Breathe. Breathe.

I swayed a bit on my legs. Shit. I tried to steady myself while simultaneously trying to cope with the massive hammering in my head. Oh shit I had to breathe, too.

"Fuck no!" A voice boomed a few bodies down. I looked over but couldn't get a good look at him as wardens soon moved toward that direction.

"Hey don't touch him!" A feminine voice sounded from that direction as well and in seconds they all went ballistic.

A warden went down and the zapping of taser sticks soon followed. The prisoners surged and a few tried to run out of the room but were soon tackled by wardens. I remained stoic in shock, fear, despair, and fatigue.

"Bella!" My mom grabbed my shoulders and crushed me to her warm body. I'll miss this, that is if I didn't die. "I am so sorry, if I'd have known that you would've been restrained this morning I would've voted against it, I promise, but we voted last week. It's an ugly coincidence, I'm so sorry!"

"Stop! No, Mom please don't be sorry this isn't your fault. I'm sorry, Mom."

"I love you, Bella. Listen, I know you feel sympathy with some of these kids but a few of them are dangerous, please be careful who you befriend. Remember everything I taught you. There's a son of a botanist among you for a petty crime but he's smart, I know you'll eventually have food. It's an interesting group. You have everything you need. I'm sorry I didn't let you observe the surgery last month but I have so much faith in your passion for health and medicine. I know you'll be okay. I love you just please try for us,-"

"Doctor," A warden cleared their throat behind us. I hugged my mom one last time. "I will, Mom." I whispered finally.

"Sorry, Ms. Swan," The warden said as a pinch in my neck paralyzed me and a deep sleepiness soon followed.

"Wake up!" My eyes snapped open as my cheek experienced some heavy stinging.

Jessica, a brunette girl with massive boobs and zero common sense, stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. I recognized her from sophomore year before she got arrested for identity theft, she was trying to use the ID card of a her dead relative to get extra energy hours. Like I said, zero common sense.

I blinked around me as the realization that I was on a space shuttle that was supposed to take us back to Earth registered in my brain. Dozens of kids were seated throughout the space craft while the other half were walking around and socializing with the other inmates.

Jessica cleared her throat, looking at me expectantly. "Well aren't you going to tell us what's going to happen?" A few people looked over as she asked this question as though she were giving another assembly. "You are the head doctors' daughter, right? You had to know this was going to happen." Accusation was thick in her tone. I recalled why I never liked her.

I shook my head but realized it was a mistake as dizziness erupted in my head but I still managed to reply. "I know about as much as you. I didn't even know about it until the assembly."

She pursed her lips. "Sure, as if your mom wouldn't tell you any of this. Right?"

What the fuck?

"That's exactly what I mean." I replied. No fucking duh.

"Right, Bella." She shook her head as she sauntered off in an attempt to establish dominance. Unfortunately for me, it looked like her plan had somewhat worked in her favor because a few people gave me wary glances.

My head was still floating.

"I wouldn't worry about her if I were you." A chirpy voice commented beside me. I looked at the seat to find a pixie chick sitting next to me. Her hair was sharp and her body was tiny but her face was absolutely beautiful, all feminine wide eyes and no blemishes. Although she was certainly tiny, her face displayed the maturity of her years so if I had to guess I knew she'd be somewhere around my age.

As I was about to reply a voice from the upper levels of the chamber erupted, "Who wants to open it first?"

My head hurt like hell and even my stomach was a bit queasy but even I could process the potential dangers involved with opening a shuttle before we even landed. "Hey, how much time has passed?" I asked the girl next to me as I unbuckled my seat belt.

"A few hours, we've been sitting here for a bit after the land. People are kind of scared of opening the door, you know, because of the possible death factor. Jessica tried to wake you up before but you were lights out. Do you know why she hates you?"

"Wait we landed? Are we on Earth?" How deep could I have been out?

She nodded slowly, looking up at me.

"Holy, shit. No way! Why are you just sitting here?" I jumped up from my seat, ready to head to the door. My head ache had subsided slightly but I was too curious to not go.

"It's like a mosh pit up there!" She groaned.

"What's your name?" I asked as I unbuckled her seatbelt and tugged on her arm.

"Alice."

"Well, Alice, we're going to go up there and make sure we don't die once we get out of here." In reality she wasn't as small as I thought but she was still a good four inches shorter than my 5"5 frame.

Leading her down the steps was for the most part pretty easy since our floor was practically deserted; the real problem was on the first floor where everyone had decided to shove themselves as close to the doors as possible. Still, Alice and I weaved our way through the sea of bodies to get close to the front. There was definitely a spectacle people were enjoying as they stood on their tip-toes to get a better view of the front of the room and whispered in anticipation to each other.

"Fuck, you too!" A familiar voice boomed.

As the crowd thickened I knew we were approaching our goal.

"Well someone has to do it! We can't live in here! So are you going to stop me?"

We finally broke through the crowd, arriving at the point where two guys were having a heated argument. The much larger one was easily the biggest guy on the ark with brown curls and dimples easing his intimidating frame. He stood challengingly in front of a tall but significantly smaller blonde.

"Emmett!" To my surprise Alice's small frame darted to the bulldozer of a guy. He was just as surprised to see her if the look of shock was anything to show for it. He immediately wrapped his arm around Alice and protectively pushed her behind him a bit.

"So if you don't mind," The blonde glanced at Alice and then at Emmett as he approached the door of the ark.

Emmett moved quickly, grabbing the blondes arm and yanking it back, "Like hell!"

Then things went very bad very quick.

The blonde boy spun around and with the agility of a predator, escaped Emmett's grasp while shoving his enormous body away. Unfortunately, Emmett plummeted into Alice and a loud yelp echoed throughout the enclosed space. Meanwhile, another bronze haired guy jumped in front of the blonde like he was ready to murder the boy but a red head shoved her way to where they stood and effectively blocked them from each other. By this time Alice had recovered from being nearly crushed to death and was livid, already marching to the heat of where the action was. She shoved the bronze male away and was confronting the gorgeous ginger who looked about ready to rip Alice's head off. Apparently Alice had no hesitations despite being nearly a foot shorter than her counterpart. Emmett then returned and was roaring mad shit at the blond male but was being held back by the bronze guy.

Shit really hit the fan when little Alice took a swing at the girl she had been arguing with, clipping her jaw with a loud smack. Of course, she retaliated and all of a sudden all three boys forgot everything and occupied themselves with the seemingly impossible task of making sure the girls didn't murder each other while they tried to pry them apart. This left the door to the outside completely unguarded and I took it as an opportunity to resolve this once and for all. While the crowd of inmates egged on the fight, I edged my way to the door and before anyone could stop me, I rotated the handle to open it and was rewarded with a loud squeal and click.

The shrieks of combat ceased behind me and I turned to see everyone had stopped everything they were doing even the anxious crowd and both of the girls. The room consisted of a mixture of various facial expressions ranging from shock, eagerness, and fear. In fact, everyone had forgotten the fight all together and were waiting on me to open the door completely.

Turning, I grasped the metal bars of the door and with all my strength pushed outward.

 _Pop._

The door burst open as a gust of wind entered the shuttle. It felt exactly like how all the books explained it would feel, a caress of cooling air. It smelled even better than the botanic garden on the arc. My hair blew behind me as I was the first person on the ark to step on Earth.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the wind blew into the cramped confines of the shuttle, I leaned my weight completely against the door and pushed against it palms out. With effort, I was able to shove the bulky door from its position and rays of light swarmed into the room. For a moment it was too much; the light blinded us all and we shielded our eyes with our arms, convinced that the world was going to burn our never before exposed bodies. As I was about to step back in defeat, my eyes adjusted and after a few blinks the light was manageable. More than that, the warmth it radiated was fantastically coating my body through my thin tank top. The Sun was greeting us and giving us a warm welcome to this beautiful Earth.

The trees danced in agreement, their green leaves swaying everywhere: a celebration of our arrival. Green seemed to be the theme as it covered the ground entirely. Lush, green grass expanded as far as you could tell, before the trunks of trees got too thick to see any further. None of the pictures or books had depicted this scene correctly, it was beyond anything we had learned in school. This here was about the experience. Every breath I took was fresh, no longer the air produced by the ark. I now inhaled oxygen produced naturally by the forest around me without any human involvement. Above the treetops I could spot specks of blue sky, not a single cloud but I knew I'd be able to see it someday because this beautiful land was now my home.

I couldn't wait a second more. I took my first step off the ark and made my way down the stairs, each step bringing me closer to the beckoning Earth. There was a peaceful silence as I became the first person from the ark to step on Earth. Unlike the cemented floors of the ark, the grass caved as I stepped on it. For a second, fear erupted in my mind as memories of being reprimanded for squashing a grass bed on the ark revolved in my thoughts. These worrisome thoughts were easily brushed off as logic told me I had nothing to fret over. Instead, I took eager steps forward and came to my knees on the grass. I combed my fingers through the smooth strands, delighted with the tickles it made on my palms.

"Are you dead yet?" Someone from the ark called.

I laughed.

Just a few hours earlier I thought I'd truly be dead, floated off to space. When I heard that we'd be coming here I never imagined we'd even make the landing through the layers of radioactivity that was supposed to be suspended in the air. Now, though, I never felt more alive. This is what humans were made for, not some artificial tube in the sky. For years I'd gaze down on Earth, waiting until I was in my thirties and forties to be able to come down here. Finally, I was. Although this was supposed to be a punishment, this was the greatest gift I've ever had.

Standing up to face the ship I called back, arms waving "Come _feel_ this! It's amazing!"

One by one, brave individuals stepped off the shuttle, experiencing the same awe and excitement I first had. They touched the grass, some ran into the forest, and others just gazed at the sky overwhelmed with the Earth's beauty.

"Bella! This is insane!" Alice was spinning in circles, arms spread out from her as she absorbed the sunlight and delved into her own delight.

I grinned, this really was crazy. Yesterday most of these people believed they were going to be in cells half their lives and today they're braving a whole new world, a new future unmarred by their pasts.

This scenery was captivating. No longer were we subjected to the white walls of the ark nor the images of a black space with millions of sky, every square inch of Earth had color and liveliness. Green was first, it coated the grass and tree branches. To my surprise the trees weren't as tall as I expected although they did tower over everyone. The blue, cloudless sky seeped through the branches, offering us just a glimpse of its beauty.

"Well," A boisterous voice boomed and I felt an awfully heavy arm snake around my shoulders. "I see Alice brought us some new meat." It was the same guy that had been fighting inside with the blond guy. Not liking my position, I squirmed out from under his arm, keeping him at a good distance. I suddenly remembered my moms warning to be wary of the people I was with- teenagers or not they were locked up for a reason.

Alice sighed and moved to stand next to me. "Leave her alone, Emmett."

He grinned, displaying a dimple "Aw, I'm just kidding, a friend of Alice's is a friend of mine."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella, this is my brother Emmett."

"Brother?" I blurted out, not even thinking about how rude I most likely sounded but, honestly, how could I not be shocked? Siblings were illegal on the ark unless you were the children of the council and I knew they weren't. How could this be possible?

Emmett's face faltered slightly but Alice was quick to respond, "Yeah it's a long story for another time."

Note taken.

Emmett stuck out his hand and I gave it a firm shake.

"Wow, you already met the head doctor's daughter? You do remember her mom voted for us to be floated off here?" A silky serpentine voice accused from behind Emmett. She was stunningly beautiful with long blond hair and a killer body.

I retracted, marginally stunned by her obvious dislike of me despite the fact that we just met. "Oh, I believe we don't know each other. I'm Bella."

She didn't even glance at the hand I offered her. Instead she replied with a salty "I know who you are."

Alice groaned, "Cut the crap, Rose. She's fine, I swear. You know I have good intuition."

Rose hesitated, switching her eyes to me momentarily before she murmured her defeat and stalked off.

Emmett sighed, "She doesn't do well with strangers. I promise she gets better."

I nodded, not really believing him as he followed Rose. I hoped that she wouldn't have a target on my back. Alice was my only friend here, if Rose and her were friends then I'd of course would have to learn to cope with her.

"Looks like someone already found his throne." Alice mumbled, her eyes directed to a spot behind me.

I turned to see what she was talking about and standing right at the entrance of the shuttle was the bronze haired boy from the fight. He was lugging bags off as a group of people helped transport them to a spot on the ground. They were being divided into separate categories but the one that caught my eye and probably everyone's eye was the food. An enormous mountain of food was piling high on the floor, enough to feed all 100 of us. Dried fruits, nuts, chicken bowls, tofu, and every wonderful food imaginable was there. A surplus amount so that we might even feel full. I haven't felt full in a long time. Of course, there were three guys that were standing suspiciously close to it, emitting an intimidating aura of don't even get close.

"Who is that?" I asked Alice.

"Edward Cullen, he's 20."

His age stunned me; if he was 20 now then he had been incarcerated when he was a teenager. That had to have been over three years ago since 18 year olds weren't given the treatment of minors. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him. As Edward and his friends lugged off more and more food, people began surrounding it but no one dared to trespass given the Wardens standing in front of it: all three were tall and heavy built. Meanwhile, everyone had the same thoughts of when the hell are we going to eat. We watched silently for a couple of more minutes before Edward Cullen decided the crowd was big enough for his attention. He got off the ship and walked to where all the food was. The Warden imitators didn't even try to stop him. He grabbed the first thing he saw and held it up for everyone to observe.

"I've been in my cell for five long ass years. I don't even remember what apples taste like. We've all been excluded from these luxuries because the Council of the ark locked us up during the pinnacle of our lives. I was 15! Hell, I know some of you are 15 now. No fucking more." He ripped open the package of dried apples. "They were starving us down there! They gave us enough to eat so we wouldn't die. Chancellor Aro even appointed General Sheerer as head of security." There was agreement among the crowd and obvious excitement, people nudging each other and nodding. Whispers of personal stories arose quietly but Edward continued. "Screw him! Screw everyone on the Council because we're free now! There isn't anyone here to stop us from doing what we want when we want! And you know what? I'm fucking starving!" He held up an apple piece. "I haven't had a good ass meal in years and I'll be damned if I don't have one today!" He popped the slice into his mouth and visibly relished in its flavor. I could only imagine how wonderfully sweet it must taste after the barely substantial prison food I had earlier today. "We're all hungry! We've been hungry for years, so tonight we'll eat! We'll celebrate!" The crowd yelled their encouragement, shuffling closer to where the food was. "No more Chancellor Aro, no more shit food, here's to our freedom! Eat it all, have a fucking party!"

In an instant of bravery my logic surged through me, urging me to protest this anarchy. "Wait!" All attention was on me. "We can't do that; we have to ration our food until we have a reliable source. We're going to be stuck here and we don't want to have to face actual starvation because we were careless our first day here."

The crowd was intimidating as hell but as they stared at me I could see a few of them were actually thinking about what I was saying. The other half was just trying to decipher my face since they had no idea who I was.

Edward laughed. "Actual starvation? You're kidding, me. Of course you wouldn't know what the rest of us have had to cope with. You're the head doctor's daughter, you've had luxury every second of your life. The entire council has been living in luxury while we were trapped in cells for petty shit that wasn't our fault as they left us to rot. What just government locks someone up for protecting their family? We deserve this! We're finally free!"

Edward was corrupting everyone's minds as they easily fell to his whims. Their cheers and pointed sneers were enough to frighten me just a bit but, perhaps stupidly, I continued to intervene. "I understand why you're angry but this isn't the place for resentment. They didn't give us an endless supply of food, we're limited. We don't even know if we have water close by, let alone food. We can't afford to be that reckless- we could die!"

We waited for Edward's response. Somewhat dramatically he shoved the dried apples to the person nearest him and sauntered closer to the edge of the crowd. They seemed to get the hint and parted for him, creating a direct line for Edward and I to have uninterrupted eye contact.

"No. That sort of backwards thinking is what got us locked up! They can't handle normal society; they need to be isolated! Well now we're isolated as far as we can be and we're going to prove them wrong! We're going to make it out here and not even the head doctor's daughter is going to tell us we can't! We'll find water and we'll find food when we need to but right now we're going to enjoy the lives that have been taken away from us for years!"

If everyone didn't know who I was before they most certainly know who I am now. By the looks of it, I've acquired a few enemies on day one. Even worse, the crowd was absolutely devouring Edward's words, ignoring everything I've said. At this point, I knew I would be better off staying quiet even if that meant going hungry the following week.

A hand rested on my shoulder, "Nice try, Bella," It was Alice. "But, honestly, if there's anyone that could move a crowd, it's Edward. They loved him on the ark and they're going to love him here."

I sighed, frustrated. "And what about you? Do you love him?" I couldn't decide on Edward's character from the little I've seen but Alice did say she had good intuition.

"Yeah, he's great. He's one of our closest friends on the ark. What you're seeing now isn't a great portrayal of him. Yeah he has grievances, we all do, but he's smart about what he does and right now I think his main goal is to win everyone over. If you were a prisoner and heard that speech, you'd be loving every ounce of him." Smart indeed.

I supposed she was right. These people only cared about their freedom and fun right now, anything else wasn't a priority. It'd take a bit more to get through to them.

Edward and half his helpers continued to take supplies off the ark and the other half were handing out large bundles to people. As individuals opened it, I could tell they were tents and sleeping bags. I looked at my watch, right next to the wristband that had been strapped to me to keep my vitals in check for the people on the ark. I actually had no idea what time the Sun would be setting here now that we were no longer with the constant darkness of outer space.

One of the people passing out supplies finally approached us, clear distaste for me written on his face.

"Two per tent, there's only 50 tents so we have to share. Everyone gets their own sleeping bag, filtering water bottle, set of clothes, flashlights, compass and back packs. There's no more so if you lose it you're screwed." He gave Alice and I a tent to share and offered each of us the brown bags which contained the remaining supplies inside of it.

I looked around, others were already in the process of building their tents. No one has managed to get it up and some have quit, deciding to explore the woods instead.

Alice huffed, "I hope you know how to build this."

I nodded. "Yeah my mom got me one when I was little, I played with it all the time." It was considered a luxury on the ark and in the fourth grade when we were learning Earth science it was the rave. Few people were allotted access to one so I was lucky to get it on Christmas. I even painted the inside with the Earth sky.

"Wow you really are rich," Alice noted.

Embarrassed, I shrugged and grabbed the tent. It was a bit different from the one I had because of its greater size but it didn't seem like it'd be an issue.

"Wait, hold up. We're setting camp over there." Emmett bounded up to us and pointed to a spot next to the ship with a very frustrated looking Rose as she tried to connect to ends of rods that clearly were not a pair.

Alice nodded, shouldering her pack and bouncing to where Rose was. Emmett followed and, seeing as Alice was most likely going to be my tent mate and, let's face it, I had no other place to go, I went behind them too. I didn't get too many stares as I made my way to Alice and Emmett. Really, most people were too annoyed with their tents to pay me any attention.

"This is impossible!" Rose whined. Several others around her agreed as they too struggled with their tents.

Seeing as I was in a pretty unfavorable position, I hoped my tent building skills would impress people. Maybe I could even help them and get on their good side. Hopefully Rose would warm up to me.

"Here, Bella!" Alice had picked a spot beside the steps leading up to the ship. Smart, in case it rained. I've read Earth weather could be very unpredictable on certain places of the planet and seeing as we didn't know where we were it was better to be safe.

I shrugged off my pack and lowered the tent container to the ground. I also noticed that right on the other side of the ship opening Edward and his friends were in the process of struggling to make their little camp. We'd be in very close proximity, only about ten feet away from the nearest tent. Hopefully Edward was as nice as Alice said and he wouldn't give me any shit.

"Alright Alice hand me the first two rods, the longest ones you can find." I set to work and even though I knew Alice had no clue on how to build the tent I couldn't help but include her seeing as how she was eagerly holding the tent set. Thankfully, she was a wonderful helper, always excited and worked quick. She didn't listen to my instructions on how to build one in case she ever needed it because, frankly, her attention span couldn't handle it. Regardless, she helped me connect long rods and cover the structure with the water proof fabric. When we finally got to nail it down, she was absolutely elated and boasted rightfully to Emmett and Rose. It took us about fifteen minutes to build but I wanted to make sure the structure was sturdy and nailed as reasonably deep as possible.

"Bella, our tent is going to be so cute! Give me your sleeping bag I'm going to go decorate it!" Alice took no time to hear my reply and grabbed my few belongings off the floor and slipped into the tent.

Unsurprisingly, Alice and I were the only ones who had our tents done. Every one else was still struggling and I even got some envious stares. I couldn't help but notice that Edward was having a difficult time, he had connected the wrong rods together and the structure was now uneven. One blow and it'd get knocked over. His friends were appraising my tent from a distance but I knew most of them would be too prideful to ask for help seeing as how they just returned to their confused states.

Emmett and Rose had zero progress as well and were actually sitting on the ground, waiting for me.

"Hey, Bella, you're so good at it. You should show us how it's done." Emmett waved at the pile of mess on the ground as he sat comfortably, playing with the grass. Several rods had gotten jumbled and if he had done nothing my job would have been so much easier.

Laughing I replied, "Yeah, thanks. Come here and I'll teach you."

To my surprise, Rose got up instead.

"I'm actually a mechanic. I've just never seen a tent before." She said.

I nodded, wondering if she still hated me. "Well now you'll be able to build your own. Find the rod that looks just like this." I held up the starting rod for her to help me look for its pair.

No snarky reply or anything, she just went straight to work.

Five minutes in, people began gathering around our tent. Some asked questions while we worked which I answered as kindly as I could but most just watched. As time passed the crowd got larger and I began explaining as I worked. Some people had gotten their tents and worked alongside us, asking for help in between steps. I was not bothered at all; happy they were no longer giving me death stares. It took Rose and I twice as long to finish but many others were also able to have a finished tent. They thanked me and those who needed further assistance stayed behind. Alice, of course, went inside Emmett and Rose's tent to furnish with the few materials we had. After another twenty minutes I could say at least half the camp had a tent. I couldn't help but look over at Edward's progress only to see that they still didn't have any structure and most have given up. We made quick eye contact but he was first to look away.

Alice popped out of Emmett's tent, "Hey, I'm kind of thirsty, are our canisters full?" She was rummaging around in her bag and when she popped the lid of the bottle open she was disappointed to find it empty.

I nodded, finding my thirst as well. "Me too, let's go see if the ship has any water because I don't see any bottles over there." I pointed to where the pile of guarded food was.

"Yeah sounds good." Alice agreed walking to the ship and leading the way up the steps.

"Hey! Get off from there!" A voice called from behind us by the time I was on the fourth step and Alice the seventh. It was the blond boy that had been fighting with Emmett on the shuttle. I turned, seeing him running towards us from where Edward's camp was. I found it odd since I thought I saw them fighting, why would they be camping together? I didn't have too much time to ponder; he got to us in seconds. As soon as he within hearing distance I began asking, "What's the prob-" but he paid absolutely no attention. Too late I realized he was going to physically remove me from the ship, not even giving me a moment to talk. In seconds, he had grabbed my arm, clutching it painfully and yanked me off the stairs. "Hey, let me go!" I argued trying to pull back my arm but, unfortunately, he didn't listen and I wasn't strong enough despite my struggles. I distantly heard Alice yelling but he continued pulling and when I couldn't move as fast as he, I ended up stumbling down the steps, landing with my hands and knees on the grass as he shoved me away.

Rage coursed through me, how fucking dare he! I got up with the help of a nice girl who had witnessed the scene, pain sizzling in my knees but I was too overwhelmed by anger to even care. Instead, all I could see was how the blond kid went after Alice and roughly grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey, don't touch her!" I screamed, making my way to the steps but before I could Emmett was there, on him in seconds. In no time, he had grabbed him by the neck of the collar and snapped his fist in his face. The blond guy reciprocated and soon they were fighting down the steps and landed in a heap on the floor in front of me.

"Emmett, stop!" Alice yelled.

Rosalie was there, making sure Alice was alright, and sure enough, a crowd began forming as the boys tussled on the floor. It didn't last long at all because the crowd parted to allow, of course, Edward to get through. He had his usual posse behind him and, in a group effort, they managed to pry the boys apart.

Emmett was livid, three boys holding him back as he tried to regain his composure. Rose was there in seconds, shoving the guys restraining him away as she cradled his head in her hands. His eyes were on the blond guy that sported a purple eye and a bloodied mouth. Regardless of his wounds, he looked annoyingly smug.

I walked to where Alice stood, frightened. She welcomed me warmly with a hug and clasped my hand.

"James, what the fuck?" Edward demanded, shoving the blond boy roughly.

James shrugged, not bothered at all. "You said to not let anyone take anything from the ship."

Rose was in the process of calming Emmett down and, slowly, his breathing relaxed and she led him away from the scene before his anger surged again.

Then, all eyes were on Edward, seeing what his reaction to this spectacle would be. Instead of talking to James he zeroed in on Alice and I. "Why were you going back on the ship?"

What? After everything James just did to us and even the fight James practically instigated, his main concern was the ship.

I straightened with both annoyance and offense, "We're thirsty. We finished building our tents."

He sighed as if I was another item on an already too long to-do list, "Everyone got a bottle to last them the day, did you already lose it?"

I scowled. "No I didn't lose it, if you bothered to check you would know they were empty. This wouldn't even be an issue if you," I pointed at James, "Hadn't blown up like a damn parade about us getting water."

James grinned wickedly. It was disturbing as shit.

Edward nodded, not caring for my tone and ignored my accusation at James. "We haven't finished building our tents so we didn't get to take out the rest of the supplies. We're almost done."

I looked to where their tents were. Not a single one was standing. Glancing back at him I asked incredulously, "How are you almost done?" I waved my hand to display his progress. A few onlookers chuckled, boosting my confidence. "Alice and I are done. We'll look for some water and help bring some stuff out."

"No, we'll do it." He instantly replied. Before I could respond he whizzed passed me and went onto the ship. When I tried to follow, his friends purposely shoved their way around me and pursued him. James conveniently went in the other direction and got lost in the woods. Good riddance. Moments later Edward came back out carrying an entire crate of water. He set it on the ground and walked to me to offer two pints, "Anything else, princess?" he asked.

The mother fucking nerve of this guy. I looked at the water bottles in his hand and back at him. All the fury I've been subsiding rose and I snapped. Not even looking at the water I gave him a nasty look, walked passed him and took damn good measures to shove his shoulder on the way, and bent to pick up three of my own water bottles. I stalked away fuming, the crowd parting.

Edward continued talking, probably trying to win over the crowd or call me back but I didn't even turn around. When I got to the camp Alice and I made I threw two of the bottles in my tent and opened the third, taking a few sips. Emmett and Rose weren't here.

"Hey, are you okay?" A delicate voice asked behind me.

A skinny girl about my age with long black hair and almond shaped eyes stood behind me. "I'm Angela." She gave a half-hearted wave. I recognized her as the girl that had helped me get up after James had pushed me.

I still held a lot of residual anger but I did my best to offer a grateful smile. "Bella, and thanks I'm okay."

She stood around a bit longer, "Um, well, my friends and I are having a hard time building our tent and I was wondering if you could help us." She asked.

I nodded, anything to get my away from my camp which was no less than ten feet from Edward's. "Yeah, no problem."

Relief covered her face, "Thanks. We've been trying to find help for a long time and most people here are kind of aggressive." We passed a few groups of kids on the way to her camp that matched her description. They all glared at me. One of them had ignored the orthodox method of tent building and had chosen a tree branch to drape their fabric over. That wouldn't help them when it rained, the soil would be moist and the wind would freeze them.

"So why were you locked up?" She asked.

This question surprised me after the spectacle General Sheerer had made of me but I figured that they'd been isolated from everything so there was no way they could've seen the commotion of the dining hall.

"I stole some food." I replied.

Her eyebrows rose. "What? Aren't you the head doctor's daughter? I thought you were rich. Or do you steal for the rush?"

Realization struck me. They also couldn't have known that the entire ark was facing resource shortages unless someone told them but of course no one had bothered to. The entire time they thought the Council was purposely cutting down their rations. "You didn't know? The ark has been low on resources for a long time now. Everything was being cut: water, energy, and especially food. No one got favored, not even my family or the Chancellor's."

Her eyes widened and she slowed her steps. "What? No one told us that! We thought they were slowly starving us!"

I gawked, sad for her. "No, that's why Chancellor Aro made the announcement about our life support and why we're down here, actually. If we survive I'm assuming they'll follow."

She nodded, absorbing the information and looking like she wanted to ask more but we got to her camp area and she had to introduce me to her friends. There were two girls: Lauren and Bree. Both seemed nice but I had my qualms about Lauren. As for the boys, her boyfriend, Ben, was head over heels in love with her and Tyler was very chatty. Thankfully, they all seemed welcoming.

"Thanks, we've been struggling all day and not a damn person has ever even seen a tent." Bree said.

I laughed, "Yeah no problem." I got to work with most of them just watching me but Tyler was the first to approach and help.

"Hey is it true that the ark was starving? Angela was telling us and that sounds crazy. A rumor in our detention center spread that it was just the Council that decided to barely feed us. We thought they were trying to slowly kill us." Tyler said.

I was quick to ease his very far fetched worries. "No, yeah Angela was telling the truth. Now I know why everyone here is so mad. The ark was running out of food, it was really bad. No snacks, no wastes, strict rations, and our dinner's were cut in half. I don't know what happened. My mom doesn't talk to me about this stuff. Now I know why everyone here hates the council so much, I think I would too if I thought they were starving me. Hey could you pass me that rod." I pointed and quickly thanked him.

"That's a relief." Lauren muttered.

"So why were you, the head doctor's daughter, locked up?" he continued.

I paused to look at him, "Well, like I said, we were all hungry so I tried to steal some food." I continued working. "Clearly, I got caught."

"Wow, I would've thought they'd give you more portions because of your mom." Noted Bree.

I nodded as I reached for a nail "They did, but only for my mom when she was on the job. It was usually before a big surgery but it was only coffee and crackers, a luxury honestly."

She nodded.

"Hey," Tyler said, catching my attention. "Can you help me start up this tent so I won't have to bother you next time?" I nodded, helping him get to my position so he can work alongside me.

"You guys should learn, never know who will die first." Tyler teased. Oddly, though, I got an eerie sensation in my gut. Death hadn't been a major problem on the ark; most people died of old age. Although I subconsciously knew it, my mind was finally absorbing that on Earth we didn't have the advanced medicine nor technology to help rid us of simple flus or even broken arms. Our lives were entirely susceptible to the elements, one bad infection or no nearby water sources and we were goners. I felt like I was the only one that understood this, though. Tyler was making jokes and Edward was pretending like this was an all you can eat slumber party.

As we worked I began having a bit of difficulty seeing as easily as I had been earlier. For the first time, I realized sunset would actually be affecting us. On the ark our work hours weren't surrounded around the Sun's schedule because light was controlled by a light switch. Here, we were at the Sun's whims: nature's whims. I could tell that even Tyler was having difficulty since he began squinting as the light faded.

"Hey can you even see anything?" Asked Ben.

Tyler laughed. "Guess you'll be sleeping on dirt!"

Ben threw a rock from where he sat with Angela on the grass.

I stood up, "Yeah I can't see worth a damn, if you need help in the morning I'll-"

Suddenly a bright burst of light erupted, not from the sky but from a point behind me. Right in front of the ship, an enormous flame sprouted from a pile of logs. For a second I was scared the ship had combusted or my tent was aflame but then I recognized the characteristics of a camp fire. This, however, was no average camp fire like the books talked about, this flame was taller than a person and about the diameter of a bath tub. Around it, Edward and his friends stood clapping and cheering.

At this point I wished Angela and her friends a goodnight and began heading to my tent. Meanwhile, Edward and his friends continued to throw more and more logs into the bursting fire. The closer I got to my tent, the warmer I got. I had been too distracted with Angela's tent to realize how cold it had gotten but as I neared my own I was able to feel the soothing licks of warm air that came with the close proximity of the fire.

"Tonight," Edward yelled dramatically as if the fire hadn't already gotten everybody's attention. "We are going to celebrate our landing. We are the first group of humans back on Earth!" Cheers from everyone. "Prisoners, all of us! The lowest of lows, they said. We would be nothing they said. We would get floated they promised! No more! We have colonized Earth!" People approached closer and I had to dodge swarming bodies. "We are the first back and we are going to survive and make this our permanent home without a Chancellor Aro or a General Sheerer. We are our own people!" The cheering had become so loud that you could barely hear him. Regardless, people were high on the smoky wood smell the fire emitted under a darkening sky. I kept moving. I could see Alice as she was standing right outside our tent and had a frontline view of Edward. "No worrying about anything! We have survived the slums of our cells, nearly starving but we made it! Tonight we're going to eat anything we want, to hell with it all because I assure you there's plenty." Idiot. I approached Alice after shoving my way through the crowd and reassuring complaining strangers I was just going to my tent. From this angle Edward had his back to us but he was slowly turning so he could give everyone a good perspective. A few of his friends stood around him but there was an obvious circle that had been formed for him. "It's time that we enjoy ourselves, we can survive anything but for tonight there won't be any surviving. Only pure ecstasy, to hell with it all! We're fucking free! Eat anything and do anything because there's no one here to do shit to stop us!" Edward walked away from the berth people had given him and approached the massive food pile. He opened a package of something and tipped it into his mouth while holding his hand up, motioning for us to wait. "100 of us landed here," He paused, chewing some more. "And you better be damn sure that all 100 of us are going to make it!" The crowd roared by the crackling fire, no doubt adoring the venom he spewed. In an instant everyone surged forward, racing to all the food. As hungry as I was, I wasn't particularly eager to brave a sea of hungry teenagers.

Seeing my hesitation Alice assured me, "Emmett's already on it, don't worry."

Thank God.

"Sorry about earlier, by the way. I talked to Edward and he was pretty apologetic, too." Alice started as we sat on the ground by our tents.

I shook my head, baffled. "Alice, trust me when I say that you have absolutely no reason to be sorry."

She giggled, "No I know I just don't want you to be upset that I didn't say anything to stand up for you. I just know how Edward can be and I don't think you should hold it against him. He's really great once you get to know him."

Yeah he seems like a real charmer.

"As long as there's still food in the morning I won't complain." I joked half-heartedly. I think she understood that I wasn't in the mood to talk about Edward or the situation because she switched the topic to miscellaneous chit-chat.

When Emmett got back with two bags of food I worried that others had done the same, meaning we were going to run out quick but he assured me that he hadn't seen a lot of people use the same strategy as he. Truthfully, the moment the first piece of roasted turkey entered my mouth I didn't even care. I especially didn't care when the chicken and beans followed. Despite all my cautions, I enjoyed my night thoroughly as Alice, Rose, and I stuffed our faces and laughed as Emmett went back for thirds in case there truly wasn't any left for breakfast. Everyone here actually seemed to be enjoying the hell out of this. We ate until we no longer could but Alice and I secretly hid the myriad of left overs in our sleeping bags and book bags.

I wish the night could've been peaceful as I slumbered in my tent with a belly that was finally full after months of neglect. In reality, when I retired for sleep the ground was uncomfortable and I was stuck on Earth with 99 other teenage prisoners that haven't had freedom in years. So, the night raged on with noises of laughter, brawls, and sex.


	3. Chapter 3

I had felt Alice leave the tent about ten minutes ago so when I opened my eyes, fully admitting myself into consciousness, I wasn't surprised to see her sleeping bag empty. The morning was warm, my sleeping bag already feeling too stuffy. I could hear laughter and chatter from outside and knew I'd already slept plenty so it was time to succumb to the morning. Before doing so I changed into a set of clothes from my back pack. The shorts, thankfully, fit perfectly but the accompanying tank top was a bit too tight. I'd probably have to ask around to trade with someone. I used the scrunchy on my wrist to tie my hair up in a pony tail and put on my boots.

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Alice bellowed. She was sitting beside Rose as they waited for their food to be cooked in the miniature fire.

It was gorgeously sunny outside and most people were enjoying their first meal of the day outside their tents and with as much skin exposed as possible. After being on the ark our entire lives, we were extraordinarily pale.

"Morning, what's for breakfast?" I smiled.

"Rice and beans with tomatoes," Alice replied.

I raised my eyebrows, "They gave us vegetables?" We only got vegetable twice a week on the ark when we were suffering from the food shortage. I didn't expect them to spare us any.

Rose shrugged, "It's canned. Although, we didn't really have the option to choose. When we woke up this morning the pile of food was gone and Edward and his friends were the ones passing out breakfast. Emmett talked to them and said that they were acting super nonchalant but, if you ask me, I think we have less food than they thought and Edward's getting nervous."

I nodded, sitting across from them on the fire. "Hopefully we have a bit more to last us. Do you still have leftovers from last night?"

"I have some in my sleeping bag but I think Emmett ate his." Rose replied.

Alice laughed, "Leave it to Emmett to have midnight snacks in a survival situation."

Rose shook the pot of food, checking to see if it was cooked yet, "When I caught him I took the rest and put it on my side, we'll be okay."

"Where is he now?" I asked.

Alice and Rose exchanged a look. For whatever reason, they were hesitant about telling me.

"Well," Alice began.

"He's helping Edward and his friends. I think they initiated him into his posse." Rose answered coolly.

I raised my eyebrows, "Why would he want to do that? How do you feel about that?"

"He and Edward are practically brothers: on the ark they did everything together, being on Earth isn't going to change that. It doesn't really bother me, Edward's actually pretty cool. He gave us tomatoes and if you look around most people only got rice and beans." Rose said as she divided the food evenly among us on separate food pans.

How strange for all of them to love Edward, he seemed like an outright ass to me. I can't imagine what he would be like on a one-on-one basis, it's just too difficult to picture him as a decent guy.

My thoughts must've been painted on my face because Alice took one good look at me before she responded. "Bella! I promise Edward's actually a great guy. Emmett wouldn't be hanging out with him if he weren't. He gave us our food trays and matches for lighting our fires; no one else got that. He even asked about you while you were sleeping."

I thanked Rose when she handed me my food and replied to Alice, "Alice, I barely know this guy but from what I've seen he's a pretty shitty person. He didn't even do anything to James! What type of 'leader' does that? He doesn't seem like he has his best interest settled on trying to help us survive out here."

Alice sighed. "It'll be better once you get to know him."

I chewed on the heavenly rice, mixing it with the juice from the beans. "Okay, Alice."

I didn't let my thoughts stick on Edward for long because, frankly, I've already made my mind up on him and that wasn't going to be changing anytime soon. What I was really looking forward to today was getting to explore what lay beyond the barrier of the trees. I bet there was a lake close by. On the ark we didn't have a real lake but the Council had created an oversized bathtub to teach my generation how to swim. It had been preparation for when we landed on Earth. If there was, we'd be able to take as much water as necessary from it. We wouldn't have to depend on our depleting water supply and our bottles have a filtering system within them. Of everything we could possibly need, a water source was the most important.

"Hey, do you think there's a river or lake nearby?" I asked.

Alice beamed, "Oh, I hope so!"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Alice doesn't even know how to swim."

"Rosalie! This would be the perfect opportunity to learn." Alice momentarily surprised me with the use of Rose's real name, which is the first time that I've heard it.

"Well," I said as I placed my food pan beside the now dying fire. "I say we go search for it. Not only would we have a reliable water source but we'd also have a lot of fun."

"I'll go get Emmett, he can come with us. He's always wanted to swim!" This was the most excitement I've seen from Rosalie.

I moved to get my pack from the tent, filling up my canteen and storing an energy bar as well. I did the same for Alice.

"Here," I handed it to her. "I don't know how far it'll be so I filled our bottles up."

She accepted graciously.

"Hey, I hope you girls don't mind but a few extra people wanted to join." Rose's tentative voice wasn't enough to spare me from the frustration I felt when I saw who would be joining us. Behind Rosalie and Emmett stood Edward, James, three guys who's names I didn't know, Jessica, and another girl.

I mustered up my best smile and replied with a delighted, "Oh, not at all!"

By the time everyone was actually ready to go, it seemed as though the entire camp had chosen to tag along for the fun. I didn't particularly mind except the peaceful walk I had been looking forward to was going to now be impossible. Regardless, the moment we did step out of the clearing our camp was in, a surge of anticipation swelled within me.

A few feet into the forest and Alice was already clutching my arm, "Bella, look!" She pointed to the bush of berries we passed. They looked exactly like blueberries and even though I had a horrible craving for fresh fruit, I knew there was a chance I could die. I gave Alice a quick lesson on poisonous foods and, afterwards, it didn't take much convincing to dissuade her.

Our walk wasn't as discomforting as I had thought it would be, although Edward of course felt the need to lead the way for everyone. Throughout it, most people were just happy to be walking freely and absorbing the beautiful landscapes. Some of us chatted quietly like Alice and I but, for the most part, we were all captivated by the scenery.

Despite the landscape, as we walked I couldn't help but notice the lack of animal life around us. Not a single bird chirped. You couldn't even see a nest on the trees. I tried searching for any tracks but Edward's group in front of me ruined my attempts. Thankfully, there weren't any insects but even that wasn't very reassuring. I decided to blame it on the fact that we were traveling as a large crowd and were making a lot of noise, scaring any nearby animals away. For all our sakes, I hoped that was the reason. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

"Hey what are these wrist bands for?" Jessica asked obnoxiously. I think she was the worst part of the entire hike. Every small discomfort made her bitch like a baby throwing a god damn tantrum. She moaned and groaned about one thing until she either realized no one gave two fucks or she found another thing to complain about. On top of it all, every single sentence that escaped her mouth could be heard from a ten mile radius so I and every poor unfortunate soul was forced into hearing her praise Edward for every breath he inhaled and every leaf he stepped on.

"They're so heavy," She continued, louder this time.

She walked right behind Edward and right in front of me. I was so close to her I could just choke her. Alice and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"And look at the color, it's so bland and-"

"They're for marking our progress." I interrupted her, shutting her up to give everyone a moment of peace. "They alert everyone on the ark that we're alive. If we have a heart attack and die, the ark will know the cause of death. That way, they'll know if it's safe to live here. If we die because of lack of oxygen the ark will know that living here is still not possible. If we die because we drown then the ark will know that our death's don't necessarily mean living conditions on Earth aren't suitable. If we all manage alright then I'm assuming the ark will follow shortly."

"Smart of them to send us ahead to save them selves from over exposure," One of Edward's friends noted. He had long sandy hair, a strong build, and a long nose.

"Because being sent here is somehow a worse option than getting floated?" I challenged. I understood the resentment these people held but I could only sympathize so much.

I quietly asked Alice who he was and she told me his name was Garrett.

Jessica snorted. "They couldn't float me, I only had four more months and I was free."

"Free to endure a society with dangerously low life support." I muttered.

Either she didn't hear me or she didn't want to respond. I think it was the latter because she remained quiet the rest of the trip. Bless.

I asked Alice to give me the run down on Edward's friends. They were always around him and around the camp, I saw them all the time but had no idea who they were. Alice was enthusiastic as ever and we made sure to fall back a bit to avoid being over heard. First was Garrett who was currently 16 years old but a year prior he had been incarcerated for refusal to attend school, go figure. Felix was to his left and had a violent past. He had apparently beat his father to near death when he was 16 because his dad used to beat his mom. That was three years ago but he still hadn't finished his sentence. Stefan stood next to Felix and Alice assured me that he was the nicest with an easy going charisma. His violation was, in comparison, minimal. He had been stealing some of the seeds and plants from the ark's garden to grow his own collection. He apparently loved botany and was headed in that career direction. Thankfully he was 17 and was spared from being floated. Alice continued and explained that James had been Edward's neighbor in their detention center since they were both 20 and that was where their bond formed. Edward mildly tolerated him and sympathized with James' traumatic past of having two criminals as parents and having them both get floated. James himself had been locked away for threatening to kill the Chancellor after his parents were floated but then got released. He was then readmitted for conspiring against the ark. He gave me chills and maybe I was paranoid but I could swear he was looking at me sometimes. According to Alice, she'd never seen James act as cruelly as he had yesterday. Eleazar and Jason were last and had both been neighboring friends as kids and had the same birthday. On their fourteenth birthday they had attempted to make candles for their rice cakes, anything to do with fire was forbidden on the ark. As a result, they accidently set Eleazar's room on fire and dangerously emitted high levels of CO2 into the air. I remembered their story vaguely from hearing my mom at the dinner table. They were both sixteen now.

After hearing their back ground I was insanely curious about Alice's story. She has never mentioned anything about her past but after learning that her and Emmett were siblings, I was practically dying with curiosity. I had known Alice for a mere two days but our current circumstances had forced us closer. Before I could even approach her with a question Jessica was already yelling from the front.

"There's a lake! It's huge! Come look!"

For once I didn't hold anything back, Alice gave me one look and we both silently agreed on hauling ass. We ran as fast as we could while the crowd around us surged forward. I was naturally fast thanks to my training on the ark. Since my mom was Head doctor she was allotted more energy hours so when she didn't want them she allowed me to use them for treadmills. I loved running. I always used low brightness on everything I had just so I could save its battery and have more minutes to spend on treadmills. I was lucky enough to have this, my legs were well toned and I had muscle. I didn't expect for Alice to be as fast as she was, she ran delicately yet with speed. I slowed down so I could match her pace without trying to strain her but I definitely didn't mind especially when the trees cleared to display the lake before us.

The lake was enormous, stretching in no clear shape to the edge of the forest on the opposite side. It was a greenish brown color, like the trees themselves were mixed together in the rain. Boulders were stationed on the right edge of the water; I guess that meant it was the deep end. I think I read that somewhere. Now, it was in the process of being invaded by several teenagers eager for a swim.

One by one people stripped down near the boulders and propelled their bodies to the inviting, calm lake, basing their success on the size of their splash. It was incredible. I was so absolutely relieved, we wouldn't dehydrate. My worries were minimal now, and for once we were going to be having the time of our lives.

"Bella, come on!" Alice tugged my wrist, I hadn't even realized I was slowing down.

A line had begun to form on the boulders that many people just decided to go to the other side of the lake and wade in. These were reasonable people. Alice was not that type of person.

"Bella, we have to jump in!" She was in the middle of untying her shoes and placing them next to my back pack.

I sighed, sweat already forming on my neck. "Alice it's hot as hell! Look at this line! People are even pushing each other off, I promise you that if we go around it'll be just as great."

Alice shook her head, "No! Just this one time and then we'll do it your way."

There's really no use in arguing with Alice.

I couldn't help but wonder where my modesty had gone. It was rather strange, seeing everyone in their underwear but feeling as though nothing had changed. It felt normal, and that was weird.

"Ooh, Bella nice bra!" Alice teased.

I looked down at the same black sports bra every single other girl was wearing. I laughed, "Thanks, Alice, it's one of a kind. If you're nice I might let you borrow it."

"Oh, please, we both know my boobs wouldn't fit in there unless I stuffed it up with leaves!"

Alice and I were laughing up a storm, she was just so damn fun to be with. I don't think she was the type of person you could tire easily of.

"Look we're almost to the front!" The line had been moving very quickly; dozens of bodies were flying every second, landing on the cool waters below, desperate for release from the Sun's hot rays.

Alice and I were next. I didn't know who was beside us but as soon as we got to the ledge we clasped each others hands. Of course there would be no better option than to jump in at a sprint. We back tracked a few feet and right before we flung ourselves a cool voice behind us teased, "Don't trip," I didn't have to turn around to know it was Edward. In reality, I couldn't even turn around because Alice and I were already up in the air and pummeling to the water. In an instant, the heat from my skin vanished and the coolness of the water sedated my body. We remained submerged for a few seconds before our lungs protested and we swam back up for air.

"Wooo! Bella! Alice!" Tyler clapped our backs as he swam further into the lake, right to the middle where everyone was enjoying themselves.

"Alice!" I laughed, dunking her head into the water.

She splashed me with water and pushed me away with her foot. Suddenly, a large splash erupted right beside us, soaking us completely. Alice shrieked but I couldn't help but love it as it sprinkled like rain.

"Dammit, Cullen!" Alice pushed water to Edward as he surfaced for air.

He grinned, "Sorry, girls, didn't see you." He looked absolutely divine, his green eyes gorgeously twinkling in mischief as water dripped off his nose, eyelashes, and hair. Odd that it hadn't occurred to me that despite his douchbaggery, he was very handsome.

As he wiped the water from his face Alice caught my eyes and jutted her chin towards Edward. I knew what she was planning and nodded. Just as Edward had dried his face off, we sent rounds of water splashing his way. It felt good messing with him, like hidden payback. He groaned, turning around to avoid the onslaught on his eyes. Alice immediately took this opportunity to tackle his back and attempt to dunk him under like I had done to her. It worked slightly but Garrett swam to us and pried Alice away as he delved her into the water. I aimed to pull his arm, the one he was using to hold Alice captive but just before I was able to grip him, a pair of arms snaked around my waist and sunk me. I took a quick breath before I went under and then tried to pry the arms away. As soon as I attempted my escape, my captive tickled my sides and all the breath blew out of me. Defeated, I ended my struggles and tapped their arms. Turning I looked into Edward's eyes in the murky water and used the universal signal of 'I need air' that we learned on the ark. Basically, I put a hand to my throat and used the other hand to point towards the surface. Thankfully, he quickly brought us to the surface where I was able to relish in the sweet air.

"Oh there you are, Edward!" Jessica's obnoxious voice rang out. She was swimming towards us and I gave Edward a swift good luck before I escaped. I did not want to suffer through her god awful attempts at conversation.

"Guess you'll think twice next time!" Garret joked as he splashed me with water.

Alice was already sitting on one of the large rocks. People had found a way to climb up the rocks to avoid having to go around and she sat there watching, basking in the Sun.

I swam to Alice but quickly called a warning to Garret, "You haven't seen a thing, wait until next time!"

"Tired already?" I asked Alice as I heaved myself into a sitting position beside her.

She laughed, in absolute bliss "Of course not. I'm just really excited to be able to enjoy this forever."

I smiled, this really was great. We would have this lake for as long as we wanted.

Looking out to the middle where most of the people were, I found myself feeling extraordinarily happy for everyone. They laughed and played with one another in a way that wouldn't have ever been possible on the ark.

"Come on, Bella, race you until you're tired!" Alice smacked my thigh and was off the rock in a moment. I was already seconds behind, although I didn't see how she expected to beat me, she was after all very petite.

I raced after her and right when I though I had caught up to her, a series of ear shattering screams interrupted my focus. Alarmed, I stopped and looked up. Alice was a few feet in front of me doing the same. We both stared as the horror in front of us unfolded. The center of the lake, where the buzz had been, was now a scene of utter commotion. Every single person was swimming away, trying to get as far from the middle as possible. Unfortunately, they were about twenty feet away from the nearest shore. Regardless, they all swam as the number of screams increased. My adrenaline buzzed brain managed to process this quickly and within three seconds of stopping, I didn't dare wait another moment and yelled "Alice, swim!" She didn't have to be told twice.

There's something about swimming at full speed that makes you feel like there's something chasing you. As though your brain is convinced that you're literally swimming for your life. Logic told me it was just Alice behind me but as the screams of terror increased, my anxiety swelled and I couldn't help imagine the worst. We studied marine life on the ark and all I could imagine were the images of white sharks in my text book that were now chasing me in this lake. Of course, they could only survive in the ocean so my brain continued imagining the worst as I swam with all my strength back to the big rocks, which was our nearest safety.

It took what seemed like hours later but, eventually, I had made it to the closest boulder and gripped it for my dear fucking life. I tried climbing up it but it was too high and I just couldn't grip it right. I didn't dare look behind me. I swam to the next one and nearly cried when the same thing occurred. Everything was one thousand times more slippery and I couldn't focus. I was so stupid. I couldn't remember which rock Alice and I had easily been lying on five minutes ago. Stuck, terrified, and exhausted I tried again to haul myself over and failed.

"Bella!" Edward's voice rang like a life saver and I saw him, three feet away looking absolutely fierce with a hint of dread. He was on his knees, holding his hand out for me. It was as close as he could reach me without falling in.

I swam, each stroke a new wave of fear.

Finally, I got close to him that I was able to reach his hand and tightly grip it. I would not let go. He was surprisingly able to lug me out of the water and as soon as my knees caressed the hard surface of the rocks, I collapsed on top of him. I was practically sitting on top of his chest in my haste to get away from the edge. I took a few calming breaths, reveling in my safety before I had the decency to get off him.

"Thank you," I said as sincerely as I could while out of breath.

He nodded, unable to look away from me.

"Bella!" Alice's voice shocked me into remembering the danger. She was by the steps leading up the boulders to get to the top. She waved frantically, beckoning us towards her. More and more people rushed onto the rocks, violently pushing. I nearly fell back in the water but Edward's grip on my shoulders was secure.

I cautiously stepped over rocks, purposely avoiding looking into the water, and got to where I was finally able to launch myself up the steps. Alice was already at the top, waiting for us. I didn't even need to ask for help because as soon as we were close enough Edward gripped my waist and pushed me up the first boulder while I lifted myself with my arms and used my feet to grip. I turned to offer Edward some help but he was already skillfully scaling the rock and was helping me onto the second step. By the time I got to the third, Garrett was there with his hand outstretched. I took it gratefully and Alice tackled me to the ground.

"Bella, I was so scared, are you okay?" She released me in a second, to go offer Edward some love. "Thank you so much for helping her, Edward!"

He patted her back, looking at me over her shoulder.

"Thank you, honestly." I said, crawling closer to touch his shoulder.

He nodded, giving me a strong stare.

I crawled away from them, going to where the crowd hovered at the spot we had been jumping off of earlier. I peeked over shoulders, gazing into the expanse of the water below.

I couldn't look away but I wished I never looked.

There were deep red stains in the middle of the lake, like someone had dipped a red tipped paintbrush into a water cup. Several chunks of bodies lay in it, unmoving. Pieces of arms could be identified and legs too, since they were the most obvious. More heartbreaking than anything were the seven individuals that were still trying to swim back to shore, obviously wounded and screaming for help. We could only watch silently as they raced for their lives but were then pulled from the surface and disappeared into the water. Water bubbles in their wake and, moments later, a series of large scales the size of a hand stretched for about a yard in a circling motion. It allowed for its victim to rise back to the surface, howling in pain and pleading for help. The monster rose from the water, exposing itself. It had a flat surfaced head about a foot long with green scales and bumps covering its body. Two beady eyes were positioned on the sides of its head and a scale jutting out at the very center. When it opened its mouth, two rows on the upper and lower part of its mouth clamped down onto the arm of someone I never knew. It dove back into the water, dragging him with it and as the body of the boy disappeared, the creature was long enough to still display its scales until, finally, it's body finally submerged. I could see five other creatures roaming the water, eating what was left of bodies while two others feasted on people I prayed weren't my friends.

I didn't realize I was crying until strong arms wrapped around my body and comfortingly supported me. Most people were crying softly like me, others outright sobbed and a few were in shock. I didn't know where Alice, Rose, or Emmett were but I was thankful to have Edward by my side. I was thankful that he was okay and I was so damn thankful that I was alive.

For a minute I allowed myself to feel the hurt of the horror but then I wiped my eyes of the barely there tears and whispered to Edward, "We have to help the people that are hurt. We need to go back to camp."

He looked down on me, probably trying to estimate if I was actually alright. He nodded, releasing me. I tried not to think of how cold it suddenly was but was glad to spot my book bag a few paces away. Alice was already there, getting dressed. A few others were doing the same and I followed silently. Aside from the sounds of crying, no one said a word.

I had my boots and shorts on but right as I was about to grab my shirt a worried voice interrupted me and the silence of everyone around me.

"Bella! I need your help! Bree, she's not okay! She's just bleeding so much and she can't move her arm she says it hurts too much and I don't know what to do because she's crying and, oh my god, there's so much blood and I couldn't find you. I don't know who else to ask! Thank goodness you're alive, please help me!" Angela's panicked voice was nearing an episode.

Placing both of my hands on either side of her face, I looked into her eyes and demanded, "Breathe, please, take me to her."

"Thank you!" Angela was already pulling me, the crowds of people parting.

Near the edge of the water, Ben and Lauren were trying to calm Bree down. She was hysterically crying and grabbing onto her arm, clearly in pain.

When they saw me their eyes lit up and they made way for me. I winced slightly, the hope on their faces was too much considering I wasn't even a doctor. I kneeled beside Bree, examining her arm, a long sliver had been sliced down from the top of her shoulder to the beginning of her elbow. It was long but, thankfully, skinny. It gushed blood but not as badly as Angela had made it seem. I can handle this.

"I need a shirt: we have to cover the opening up before we can get to camp. I can stitch it up, you'll be okay but we need to try to stop the bleeding." I looked helplessly around, no one was offering their shirt. "Give me your shirt!" I snapped at Ben. He reeled into motion, ripping off the fabric and handing it to me. Bree was quieting down, understanding I was here to help.

I wrapped it around the long cut, it wasn't enough.

"I need another one."

I looked around at the people who were too awe-struck to move while Bree lied helplessly before me. Alice was across from me, watching. I looked at my shirt she had in her hands and grabbed it, placing it right below Ben's. I wrapped them both as hard as I could, praying it would slow the bleeding. Thankfully, it did.

"Alright, you're going to be okay." I told Bree even though her eyes weren't very focused.

"We need to take her back to camp, help me carry her." I told Ben as I swung Bree's arm over my shoulder.

There was a large crowd surrounding the spectacle. I was momentarily irritated, all these people and not one of them was moving nor offering help. Ben and I walked forward and finally the crowd seemed to react.

Edward was first, approaching us directly. "Hey, Felix will take Bree." He pulled on Felix's arm who had been taking quietly to Eleazar. With a few words exchanged Felix nodded and was already pulling Bree from me. I looked to Edward in confusion. "There's other people that need your help. She wasn't the only one." He grabbed my hand but before we left I gave the two guys orders to get back to camp as fast as they could.

"Who else?" I asked.

"Two guys and one girl. When we head back to camp we'll count how many of us there are left." He stated.

I tried not to dwell on the idea that people were already being tallied off despite it only being our first full day. I could only imagine my mom's worry, wondering if I was next.

Edward led me to a bank of grass where three groups were huddled. I knew there'd be bodies somewhere in there. As we neared, expectant friends looked up. Again, their hope was crushing.

"James, how's Victoria?" Edward asked the first group. I was shocked to see him; I guess I wouldn't have expected him to be so affected by the scene.

James shifted, allowing me to get closer to the body on the ground. "I don't know, man. I'm fucking scared."

I eyed James, he had hysteria in his voice. One nod from Edward reassured me.

The girl was lying on the floor with barely open eyes. Her red, vibrant hair splayed out on the green earth, a massive contrast to her pale, dying face. I didn't even have to look at her stomach to know that there was nothing I could do. But I did look. A shirt had been placed over her in attempt to cover and warm her but was now entirely blood soaked like the ground beneath her. I moved it to the side. There were scratches all over her chest and forming bruises on her neck and sides. There was a large meaty chunk on her abdomen barely hanging onto her body, exposing deep red flesh and an oozing stream of blood. It was the size of my hand and I'm not entirely sure how she was still alive. She was certainly going to die and I didn't how I was supposed to tell James. He seemed to care about her. I placed the shirt back onto her chest, noticing her breathing was very shallow.

I stood up. James had been watching intently while Edward was talking with the second group. No help from him.

"I'm sorry-" I began when James suddenly snapped. In an instant he had gone from listening hopefully to mad rage. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

"No! You can't say that!"

I pushed on his upper arms as his fingers ground into my skin, "Let me go!"

"Help her!" He shoved me to the ground as he also fell to his knees, side by side we were in a puddle of Victoria's cold blood. I wiped it from my hands, overwhelmed and retaliated with a punch to his jaw. He fell back, his grip on my arm loosening and then a guy with dark brown hair was suddenly holding James in a headlock and yelling in his ear. I was pulled away by Edward.

I yanked my arm from his hold, angry from being thrown around. Angry from having to deal with this shit. "Don't touch me!" I hissed. Edward was momentarily shocked but I was too upset to care.

I walked away from them, blood all over me. All I wanted to fucking do was help.

The next group looked wary, like they understood I was mad but couldn't help asking for help. Their situation was minor, the boy just had his shoulder dislocated. It took me five minutes and they were running back to camp like nothing happened. The last group had already dissipated because their friend had died.

I didn't so much as glance at James who I could see out of the corner of my eye. He was still with the body of his dead friend. I just kept moving towards camp. Edward fell in step next to me and I could tell he was being cautious.

I was beyond caring, instead I targeted my questions on how I was going to help Bree. "Do we have any medical supplies?"

He nodded, "Yeah, like, band aids and disinfectant stuff."

Bree needed more than just a band aid, "Alright just show me when we get there."

The silence between Edward and I followed us back to camp but at least it made us walk faster. It didn't take very long and as soon as we arrived various people told us that Bree was waiting in the ship. Thankfully, her condition hadn't worsened and when Edward gave me some of the medical supplies we were able to sterilize her wound and the needle I would be using to stitch her cut. We didn't have any sort of painkillers so we settled on giving her a pill for head aches and a shirt to bite on for the pain. She endured every single skin pierce and when we finished her skin was throbbing red and she was crying. I had to say I was so god damn proud of her. Edward got her food while I made a bed for her in the ship for her to sleep in the rest of the day.

"Glad that's over." Edward sighed as we exited the ship.

"Agreed." I replied, so very relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with any more screams and abuses.

"It's lunch time we already passed out food, you hungry?" He was leading us toward his camp, every single guy there stared at me as we passed. I didn't blame them. I was the face of horror with sweat and dirt all over my skin, ragged hair from the lake, and Victoria's blood coating my shirtless body.

"Starving."

He had a pile of food in the middle of his camp, no one would dare steal from it. He picked us out two instant noodle meals and waters. People still stared. I would kill for a shower, I bet I reeked. We sat down beside what I assumed was his tent. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, not only did his friends stare but people outside his circle did as well.

"How am I supposed to count how many people are left in this camp?" Edward asked, frustrated.

I shrugged, "Not to sound insensitive but I don't know if it really matters, the ark is keeping track of us. I think we have bigger worries, like what the hell those things in that lake were. Do you think they can walk?" Imagine waking up to one of those monsters. Trick question, you'd never wake up again.

"Shit, I don't know. I didn't see legs." Edward replied in between chewing.

"Ever heard of a snake?" I retorted, annoyed with his impassiveness. "Regardless, we're not swimming there again. We need another lake –no. Another lake will have those same monsters. We need a river,"

Edward shook his head, "Bella there is plenty of water, I promise y-"

"Okay, Edward, whatever but I don't mean for that. I'm not worried about that too much. Right now I want a shower, I smell like death and you've gotten pretty dirty too. We're all eventually going to need to bathe and we can't do that in a lake plagued by monsters. We need a river, or a pond. I don't know, something." Anything, please.

I could see Edward back tracking, trying to fight me on this one like he always does. "Yeah but-"

I held my hand up, "No buts, Edward you reek and so do I. We have blood coating our bodies and I need to wash one of the only shirts I own that is now covered in Bree's blood. It's essential Edward." He hesitated, searching for an argument. I continued. "Come on, don't make this a big deal. Tell everyone it was your idea, I don't care. I'm not trying to fight you for dominance or whatever but let's be real, please. We all will need a shower soon. Why are you so dead set on being in charge and mapping everything out, it wouldn't kill you to have someone with a different perspective." I added as an afterthought, a critique on his character.

"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt but you've got to come check this out." The guy I recognized as Stefan said as he talked enthusiastically. "I promise it'll be worth it."

It didn't slip my notice that as he said this he directed both Edward and I, not just Edward.

"What is it?" Edward asked, his tone completely changing. It sounded more hard.

Stefan was adorably lanky like he had a growth spurt that hasn't reached his muscles. He was taller than Edward but had no where near the muscle Edward did. I bet even I could take him.

"Okay, so I'm sorry but I over head you guys talking and-"

"What? Why were you eavesdropping?" Edward challenged.

I rolled my eyes.

Stefan stumbled, probably surprised with the accusation. "No! No! Uh, sorry, I just –it's just that everyone is kind of focused on you two right now. You never bring girls around anywhere, not even on the ark, I mean unless they follow you and now she, uh," He looked over at me, it didn't get past me that his eyes dipped lower than they should have. "Anyways, one of the guys was talking with the other guys and he said he overheard you guys talking and, I don't know, he was being stupid like making a joke except it was dirty and, uh, it had to do with skinny dipping because he said all, um, Bella could talk about was finding a river with you. Something like that, anyways I know it's not like that, you seem great Bella, um unless you're into that. I don't know." I tried to follow his nervous explanation without simultaneously choking. "But I know Bella is concerned about water and so I was never much of a swimmer so when we got to the lake and everyone was swimming I came back. I heard about the incident, sorry by the way. Anyways, I wanted to tell you that I was walking in the woods and I found a stream. It's like two minutes away, it's small though. I'm thinking it'll eventually get big if we follow it. Sorry, again, but I thought you'd be interested."

I did not even know what to say. I tried to absorb everything but Edward was faster and more hormonal, "Who said that?" I visibly noticed Stefan gulp when Edward got up. Even though Edward was looking up at Stefan, it did nothing to dissuade the fear radiating off Stefan.

I stood as Stefan began walking backwards, terrified. Edward was furious and trailed him, hands clenched. From the corner of my eye I could see his friends turning to tune in. Shit. "No, Edward." I moved in front of him and rested my hand on his shoulder. His green eyes were sparking, he needed to calm down. "It's not a big deal, breathe, please. This is actually great news; we need to go check it out."

Edward shook his head, trying to regain focus.

I was too eager to wait, "Edward, you can stay if you need to calm down. Stefan can take me."

"Yeah, Edward you can stay I really don't mind!" Stefan said a bit too enthusiastically so of course Edward decided to come.

As we walked away from camp to wherever Stefan was taking us the stares from his friends felt a thousand times more amplified. I tried not to make eye contact with any of them but a piercing glare distracted me. James. He sat with his back against a tree, arms crossed behind him as his eyes calculated my every step. I turned away, creeped out. I tried to think of brighter things, of how I would be able to shower and how the river water would probably be too shallow to house those disgusting creatures. Like I said, I tried. Lately, I've been failing a lot too.


	4. Chapter 4

Finding the river wasn't as easy as Stefan had promised. Sure, it was two minutes away but all uphill with thick bushes. Maybe I was tired, it's been an eventful day.

"I think we're very lucky. We can use the water from the lake and now we also have this river, depending on how big it gets because this is just a trickle." Stefan noted.

I'm not sure what his definition of trickle was but mine was nothing compared to the flowing stream that lay before us. It had to be a meter in width yet it was only ankle deep. Not too promising from where we stood but I knew our prospects would be better once we headed up hill, it seemed to be decreasing the farther down it got.

After some thought I decided to reply to Stefan, "Actually, I don't think it's luck. The ark cares. It's in their best interest that we survive and they positioned us in an excellent location. We have two sources of water and where there's water there's also animals. Food, water, and they gave us shelter. They tried to give us the best chances to make it out here."

"How convenient of them to leave out that there were flesh eating creatures in the lake," Edward retorted sarcastically.

I didn't let his acid tone get to me. "There was no way they could've known; all they saw was a body of water. Come on, let's just be thankful. Let's go upstream, see if we can find a deeper spot."

Stefan was entirely too eager to lead and I followed. It took Edward a little longer then it should've until I felt him trailing behind.

I noticed that on this end of the mountain the trees were a lot harder to get passed, they were so close together that the ends of their branches touched each other. The undergrowth was also a feat. Large weeds grew from the ground, wrapping around our ankles and concealing the treacherous roots. We spent most of our energy trying to get to the next step without twisting our feet or receiving a slap of leaves to the face. We all tripped various times and bravely accepted it.

After a while the trees finally began thinning out and the ground was replaced by pebbles and rocks. It was much easier to travel across and the river had slowly grown in size as well.

"This is really good, now we can walk on rocks rather than ground." Stefan commented excitedly. It was quite strange seeing as, out of the three of us, he was the one having the easiest time walking. "Look, its current is getting faster and come check it out because it's probably deeper too."

We approached the river that looked a lot clearer than it had in the dense forest: I could actually see down into the bottom. I bet if I put my hand in there I could see it through the water. It's current was certainly faster but nothing more than a swift breeze of water: not enough to move anything heavier than dirt and leaves.

Stefan began taking off his shoes and socks, "I don't think it'll be big enough for swimming but it's at least deep enough to bathe, the current will keep the water clean."

I looked at Edward who was staring into the water intently. I could understand his hesitance but I couldn't see any dangers from here. I kicked off my shoes and socks and was beginning to unbutton my shorts when Edward's arm flung in front of me.

"Bella, tell me you see that."

I looked into the direction he was talking about, immediately on edge.

A bush shuffled.

I sighed. "Edward I think you're being slightly paranoid, it's just a bush."

He crossed his arms. "There's something there."

I rolled my eyes, "It's probably an animal or just the wind. I know we've had a long day but we deserve this river. Just look at Stefan, he's delighted. You should try it."

Indeed, Stefan was chest deep into the water. It wasn't deep enough to swim but perfect for freshening up.

I took off my shorts and edged into the water. It was cold but it didn't matter. The pebbles beneath my feet were smooth and I found comfort in my feet being able to touch the bottom unlike the dangerous abyss the lake proved to be. Stefan was in the middle of the stream, at it's deepest it only reached to his chest. Once my knees were submerged I took my shorts and laid them out on a large stone where the current could wash over it. They weren't very dirty in comparison to me but I decided to take advantage of our position. Stefan was scrubbing what little dirt he had in his hair and I made the mistake of looking down only to see he had taken his shorts _and_ boxers off. What the hell was he doing? I made sure my back was to him the entire time which meant I would be facing Edward. Although on edge, he finally decided to come into the river. He set his clothes right beside mine on the rock and, thankfully, kept his boxers on.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that there were only three of us and we weren't here to have fun but the atmosphere was nothing like it had been on the lake. I suddenly recalled what it should feel like to be in my underwear around guys I barely knew: awkward.

My back was to Stefan but I could hear him splashing and Edward had this twinkle in his eye as he looked at him and shook his head. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest. When he looked at me I felt an annoying blush creep up my face and I could only pray that I wasn't perfectly resembling a tomato. I had to also refrain myself from crossing my arms because I knew I'd look extra silly.

"Guess you won't have an excuse now to reek," Edward joked as he got in and, ever thankful for his lightness, I grinned back.

That was enough to break the ice.

I took my hair out of its pony tail and walked deeper into the water so that it came right up to my chest. I was finally able to scrub off all the dried blood from my stomach, legs, and arms. I submerged myself in the water and continued with rubbing my face clean of any dirt. The water here felt cleaner than it had in the lake. It was incredibly clear and, although cooler, it made an excellent soother. Still, my hair was giving me absolute hell. Even though it had been in a ponytail for the day, it was incredibly tangled and dirty. I had to tilt my head back into the water multiple times just to get it cleaned right but each time I felt so refreshed. Once I felt it was clean enough, I combed it with my fingers and then made it into a braid.

Finally done, I walked out of the water to see Stefan and Edward already leaning against a rock. They looked at me without making any eye contact and some of the awkwardness returned. I felt my face heat up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said as I got my shorts from the rock. Edward was already wearing his clothes.

"It's okay, we didn't mind at all!" Stefan replied. I heard Edward shove him and whisper something and I tried to get my boots on as quick as possible.

"I'm going to go pee, I'll be right back!" Stefan said as he escaped into the forest brush, crunching every leaf on his way.

Edward and I stared at each other and bust out laughing.

"He's something else."

He nodded, agreeing.

"I'm really glad we found this place." I commented as I laced up my shoes.

"Me too."

I found it strange that just yesterday I couldn't stand the idea of Edward and now today I was spending a lot of time with him. Just like Alice had said, he was a pretty great guy once you got to know him.

As I was getting up I noticed something shiny on the floor. Of course, I picked it up.

"Hey, Edward, look at this." I held out what seemed to be a necklace. It had a purple crystal tied at the end with a black string holding it together. "It's really pretty."

He examined it with his hands. "Who could've left it here, we're the only humans."

"Well we're here now but a hundred years ago there were other people."

He held the necklace in his hands, "Yeah, one hundred years ago there was a seventeen year-old girl who liked crystal necklaces but then she died."

I grumbled at his somberness, "In that case we shouldn't let it go to waste. Can you tie it on me, please?" I turned and moved my braid to the side.

He reached around and helped me position it so that the crystal lay right above my breastbone. As he tied the two ends of the string I couldn't help but be incredibly aware of him. He was just so close and his fingers were caressing every spot on my neck.

"Hey, guys, sorry…" Stefan's voice trailed off and I felt Edward's fingers falter and freeze for a moment before he continued.

Since it seemed Edward wasn't about to say anything I responded, "No problem, I found a necklace."

It was a while before I was able to look up thanks to Edward's slow work. The crystal felt great on my skin, I was eager to show Alice. Stefan eyed it appreciatively, giving it the admiration it deserved.

Heading back was a lot faster now that we were going down hill, we chatted easily about nothing in particular and stuck close to the river to avoid the onslaught of branches and thick brush. It was actually a lot of fun especially with Edward and Stefan's playful banter.

Even as we got back to camp the fun was most definitely not over, if you could call it fun.

Jessica had been in the middle of what looked like a serious interrogation with Garret. The boy had a mixed face of annoyed and scared; his friends watched the live entertainment with smiles on their faces.

As soon as we were beyond the line of trees and finally in the open Jessica's head snapped toward us. Garret looked absolutely relieved and escaped. I couldn't blame him.

She marched to us.

"So you're just going to leave without telling anyone?" She demanded.

This question was clearly aimed at Edward but he just sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. She didn't give him a second more to respond.

"How dare you? You just up and left with the first tramp that crossed your path?" Jessica was fuming and she shot a spiteful glare in my direction.

Edward's jaw twitched but I found this more amusing than anything.

I nudged Stefan's arm, "You heard that, Stefan? She called you a tramp,"

Everyone managed to crack a smile except Jessica who was snarling at me. "You're new here but the same rules apply," I straightened. I've never fought someone but she was getting threateningly close and I for sure wasn't going to be caught by surprise. She jabbed a finger at me, only a foot away now. "So next time, don't try stealing someone's boyfriend beca-"

Edward finally snapped, standing in front of me "I'm not your boyfriend, I'm not your anything! Jessica, you need to get it out of your damn mind-"

She slapped him with a resounding clap right on his cheek, "Don't fucking talk to me like that! That's not what you said when we were having sex!" She aimed to slap him again but he caught her wrist.

Several people were watching the scene unfold, all eager for a show. Stefan and I were awe struck as well. Now I could finally understand why Jessica kept following him like a puppy: she was in love with him. Sadly, it was not reciprocated. He was just like every other guy on the ark who used girls for their own gain.

"It was one fucking time, Jessica, we're not engaged!" Edward roared back.

I don't know how he could feel so comfortable yelling out his personal business for all to hear.

She screeched in outrage, "Fuck you, it was yesterday night!"

I blanched.

Wow, he really was a jerk.

Before they could continue any longer, Jessica's friend who's name I think was Lauren came up to her and led her away in tears before she could expose herself any more. She shot Edward a nasty look.

Edward sighed and tried to avoid eye contact with the onlookers. He put his back to them to face us since we were standing behind him.

Stefan was standing stoic beside me with, amazingly, nothing to say minus a whispered, "Dude,"

Edward was absolutely frustrated and angry, not an ounce of remorse.

"Dick." I muttered as I shook my head. His eyes shot to mine and finally some emotion seeped its way to the surface. I didn't stay. Before either one of them could mention anything, I left. Ten feet away, Alice was waiting for me at our camp. She offered me a bottle of water which I gratefully gulped down.

"So where'd you and Edward go?" She asked.

Her eyes were in the direction of Edward whose head was hung low as he stood talking to Stefan.

I shook my head, "It wasn't just Edward and I. Stefan was with us."

She nodded. "I figured but Jessica was going crazy. To her, it was just you and him alone together in the woods. She was asking Rose and I and then she went to Edward's friends when you still weren't back. I honestly thought she was going to fight you."

Oh, god, this girl was crazy. "It's not like that. Although it was a really douche move from Edward to treat her like that. I felt bad for her."

Alice groaned, "Oh, no, please don't feel bad. She does this all the time. She throws herself at a guy and after they have sex she thinks they're together. It wasn't just Edward, it's been James, Tyler, Eleazar, Michael, and so many others. It gets old."

"That sounded awful, why does she keep torturing herself?" After Alice's explanation my pity for Jessica decreased and I felt only slightly bad for calling Edward a dick.

She shrugged, "Beats me. Hey that's a nice necklace, did you have that on earlier?"

My mood lightened considerably, "Thanks! I found it when we left earlier. Stefan was showing us a river and the necklace was lying right beside it."

Alice moved to touch it, "It looks good on you, let me know if you find any more lying around."

I nodded, "If you want I can show you where it is? I would really like to get out of camp, a lot of people are staring."

To my utter happiness, Alice jumped up and was grabbing her bag in seconds. "Lead the way, Bella!"

We tried leaving as discreetly as possible. Of course, some people saw but only Edward and Stefan could even know where we were going. Thankfully, it wasn't very hard navigating the way back to the river; I had been there just minutes earlier. Alice made it even more fun with her light chatter and over all clumsiness. I've never seen anyone so flustered in my life. She was heaving and tripping all over the place and taking breaks every five minutes. Had it been anyone else, I would've been beyond annoyed but since it was Alice I was thoroughly enjoying our hike.

I finally recognized the spot we had been in earlier because of the large rock I had put my clothes on.

"Bella, this is insane!" Alice gasped.

I laughed, knowing full well just how happy she was because I had been feeling the same way earlier. Knowing she wasn't about to resist the water's inviting current I encouraged her before she asked, "Alice, it's even better when you actually go in."

Rapidly, she removed her shirt and shorts, "This is so great! Are you coming in?"

I had already gone in my first time here and decided to pass, allowing Alice to strip completely naked and take watch to make sure Edward or Stefan didn't come by. Although I did take a few minutes to scrub out all the blood Bree had soaked into my shirt. I hoped it didn't stain.

"This feels so great! I was wondering if we'd ever be able to bathe again." Alice commented.

"I know; I was worried too. I don't think you'll ever feel as clean as you will when you get out." I said as I took my spot lying on the grass. Alice's back was to me and I rested my head on a tree trunk.

"And all three of you were just bathing?" Alice asked. There was something in her voice, something that made me feel like she was implying something else.

"Yeah, I had my underwear on and so did Edward." I opted out on telling her about Stefan because I knew her interest were really focused on Edward.

"You know," Alice began. "I've never seen Edward take an interest with any girl. He's one of my closest friends, I would know."

"Alice," I sighed. Here she goes again.

Before I could continue she stopped me. "Bella, I'm serious. He's been going kind of out his way to spend time with you. I know why you're hesitant, he didn't make the strongest first impression. It's just that he likes being in a leadership role. When you challenged him he probably felt like every other guy with a big ego: defensive. Beyond that, though, tell me he isn't really cool."

From him not doing anything to punish James and from him being a wise guy whenever I was around he was royal pain. But, at the lake he was actually fun and even when we were at the river earlier. Talking with him was nice when he didn't choose to fight me on every phrase that left my mouth. As far as spending time together it wasn't as though we planned on it; a series of unfortunate events had caused us to be in each other's company. If he was interested, he had a terrible way of showing it especially since he had slept with Jessica last night. It was still just much too early to even dispute it; we barely knew each other. "Alice, I don't think the way you're seeing it is the way he's feeling it. He was with Jessica _yesterday_ and we only got on good terms today."

Alice laughed, "He barely knew you yesterday but I know that after today he wants to know you better. And forget Jessica, he doesn't want anything to do with her. Actually, don't forget her because she might want to kick your ass one day. Whatever, you should have seen the regret on his face when you walked away from him earlier. Bella, trust me, he's into you. It's just a little right now but he's going to feel stronger about it."

I didn't know what to make of that.

I dropped the grass strand I was playing with and turned the tables on her, "What about you, Alice? Any _forming relationships_?" I asked, joking slightly.

"Bella, you don't even need the ark's birth control when Emmett is your brother!" We both laughed and I heard her splashing around. Emmett was intimidating as hell; I could see all her possible suitors run like hell as soon as he turned on them.

I turned to check on Alice, just casually. I hadn't even heard anything. Maybe it was just my conscience alerting me. Regardless, I turned in her direction. She was bathing luxuriously in the cool water, completely oblivious as I had been seconds earlier. Unbeknownst to her and I, there was a man right beyond the tree line. He was well hidden; I would have missed him had it not been for the reflection of the necklace escaping through the trees. It was blue and lay on his chest, his bare, muscled chest. He had ragged beige pants on as he crouched, staring intently at Alice. Ink was covering his entire arms and parts of his chest. His blond hair was long and it was tied up in a pony tail on his head. He still hadn't noticed me. I was immediately on edge and betrayed all the instincts in me that told me to keep watching him. I don't know how long he's been watching us, watching Alice.

Breathe, be smart.

"Alice?" I asked with the coolest voice I could manage. I was dying on the inside. "I think it's time to head out now, I'm getting tired."

Alice whined, "Aw, Bella, come on just-"

I couldn't help it, "Alice shut the fuck up and get out now." I knew my tone would give her enough urgency but I didn't want the watcher to assume I had spotted him so I continued with my act. "I have had a long ass day and I'm hungry as hell. Did you even offer me food? I want to go back now."

Alice was already putting on her shirt, thank goodness. The disbelief on her face was unable to be seen by the watcher since her back was to him. I didn't dare steal a glance at him for fear of making eye contact. "Bella, are-"

"Alice, I'm so tired! Put on your shoes!" I grabbed her boot and helped put it on her while she was putting on her other shoe. As I tied the laces I chose this moment to tell her as quietly as I could without making eye contact, "Alice, there's someone watching us. He's not from camp. I don't know who he is. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

I stood up, "Now you better walk fast, I just want to sleep!"

Alice nodded, keeping her face neutral but I know she had heard me by the way her body tensed as I whispered to her. "Sorry, Bella."

We stepped away from the river and into the trees. I knew we were both thinking the same thing: run or pretend like everything's okay. If we ran he could easily catch up to us but it gave us a better chance than just strolling through the woods. Besides, with Alice's clumsiness I don't think we'd get far without having to stop. We'd just look more suspicious.

In the end, we had to endure the twenty minute walk in silence. We bickered in the beginning in hopes that our pursuer would assume we were angry with each other so we wouldn't have to speak. Alice stumbled more than she had on the way to the river and each time she fell I imagined that the man would take it as an opportunity to finally kill us. I was on edge the entire time.

I thought I would cry when I saw the camp but, thankfully, I kept my emotions in check. My cool façade was working until we heard a twig snap and the sounds of obvious footsteps.

I yanked Alice's hand in mine and ran for the ark. Each time she tripped I nearly yanked her arm out of her socket to keep her up right. We whizzed passed trees and my heart broke hearing Alice's terribly ragged breath. Thorns on bushes we would usually avoid now scraped at our arms and legs, the tougher ones drawing blood. We ducked as much as we could underneath low lying branches and trees but in our haste we had run on a different path than the one we had gone up through. Now, leaves were sticking onto our hair and branches were pulling strands.

The pain didn't stop me but Alice did.

"Bella," Pant. "I can't," Pant. "Keep," Pant. "Going."

Shit.

"Alice we're almost there."

I wasn't foolish enough to believe that we were running faster than the man. My brain searched for responses trying to figure out why on Earth he still hasn't caught up to us.

We were only a few yards away.

"Bella!" Alice yanked her hand out of my arm and I instantly halted. She leaned against the nearest tree and gasped for air. I was on alert. My head spun around, searching for where this man was. He had to be hidden somewhere in the trees and right now Alice was as vulnerable as ever. I didn't want to rush her but, holy motherfucking shit, she was taking too long. I stood in place and rotated, searching every tree to see if he was there. He wasn't. There was no way we could have lost him, he could easily outrun and outfight us. Why hasn't he?

"I'm sorry," Alice huffed out. She straightened up and began walking toward me. "I heard it too," She was referring to the twig snapping and the footsteps behind us. "Let's go."

We walked side by side back to camp. Alice's wet body had made it particularly easy for debris to stick onto her; she was covered head to toe with dirt and leaves. Our skin was covered in scratches and our hair was a chaotic mess. I could only imagine how we looked like with Alice heaving as soon as we stepped foot on camp.

"We have to tell the others; people think we're alone here but clearly we're not." I said urgently to Alice as we neared our camp.

"I agree, let me check if Emmett's in his tent. He goes wandering around a lot and I need to warn him."

When we made it to our tent it was clear he wasn't there.

"Let's tell Edward, he'd want to know." Alice said.

We walked to Edward's camp and it was very uncomfortable; eyes followed our every move to where Edward was sitting with Felix, Stefan, and James. Alice knew how I felt about James and apparently he did too when he saw us approaching and darted a wicked smirk our and an even darker tint to his charcoal eyes. Thankfully, Edward noticed and was quick to greet us. Stefan, ever cheerful, gave both of us a side hug which was actually super comforting. We ignored James.

"We really need to talk." I started.

James just had to put his lowsy two cents in, "Well, Bella if this is about earlier I'm sure Edward would be delighted to mend your insecurities later but we were in the middle of an invigorating-"

I gave him one cold stare. "I could not care less so shut the fuck up. Alice and I need to talk to Edward. Stefan and Felix are welcome but you can literally go take a hike."

With that I grabbed Edwards arm to steer him away from James, far enough so he wouldn't be able to eavesdrop. Stefan and Felix followed and led us into a very large tent, probably the biggest here, where Garret and Eleazer were hanging out.

"Hey, can you guys give us a second in here?" Stefan asked.

The look in their eyes told me enough about how poorly they read the situation and to ease any more possible rumors I quickly interfered, "Actually, they should probably hear this too. I just don't have any patience for James."

It didn't escape my notice that Felix also gave us more privacy by moving a curtain in front of the entrance of the tent. I was thankful. We all sat down on a very comfortable material that provided cushion from the hard floor. There, of course, wasn't any seating but we all chose our respective locations and I was comfortable, Alice to my right and Edward to my left.

"Alright, Bella, so what's up?" There was slight tension and awkwardness between Edward and I but at the moment that was the least of our worries.

"Okay so after Jessica had her episode Alice and I went to the river Stefan showed us earlier." I began.

"Wait there's a river?" Eleazar blurted out.

Stefan sighed. "Yeah I just found it and Edward and Bella were a mess so I took them there to clean up. I was planning on taking you guys tomorrow."

I nodded. "Right so it took us about thirty minutes to get there which wasn't too bad and I let Alice bathe while I kept watch in case either of you," I looked pointedly at Alice and Stefan. "Walked in on us. We were just talking when I look out of the corner of my eye and there's a _man_ behind the bushes. I saw him because he had a reflective blue necklace on and it caught my eye. He didn't even have a shirt on and his arms and chest had permanent ink on them! It was the strangest thing, like when we were on the ark and would play with pens and mark ourselves. It was like that but you could tell it had been etched on his skin for a while. He was just sitting there behind some bushes, blending in completely, and just watching us. I know he wasn't from the ark, he was too, I don't know… different. And his skin was incredibly tan, so many shades darker than ours."

Everyone was in disbelief.

"Does he know you saw him?" Stefan asked.

Alice responded, "I didn't get to see him but Bella put up a good act of being tired and wanting to just sleep. We booked it out of there as quick as we could."

I continued. "Then he _followed_ us. We got a bit sidelined and took a path that was super thick and not as easy as the one we took earlier," I referenced to Edward and Stefan. "Then we heard him behind us, like his actual footsteps. We got freaked so we ran."

"Did he do anything to you?" Edward asked.

I shook my head, "Apart from being creepy no. Honestly, though, Alice is tiny and I'm. 5'5. This man was young, I'd say around twenties and huge. There was no possible way that Alice and I could have outrun him and I know for sure we could not have out fought him. I'm not sure if he's an enemy because I feel like he could have really hurt us if he wanted to but he doesn't come off quite like a friendly neighbor either."

"Dude it's just insane, I thought we were alone here." Eleazar said.

"I think we all did but if he exists then there has to be more where he came from." Alice commented.

"Maybe he was there because of the river, he needs water too." Stefan noted.

That made sense and I guess you wouldn't be able to properly introduce yourself with Alice totally naked in the river. Regardless, he shouldn't have just stood there watching.

"Until we know whether or not this guy is safe, this doesn't leave the room. We're the only ones that know and it's going to stay that way. No one else knows about the river and it'll remain like that too. I think we should check it out soon but no one goes back until then. Maybe tomorrow." Edward's voice was firm and calculated.

Obviously I had to say something, "I think we should tell everyone so that they could be more aware of their surroundings. It'll make it more safe for them."

"So they can do what? Attack him? Scream? It'll just psyche them out. There's no safety until we know for sure. This doesn't leave this room, like I said." Edwards stare pierced me with a challenge.

I wanted so desperately to argue but Alice placed her hand on my leg and answered for me. "No problem. But on that note, I need to tell Emmett. He can be hot headed."

Edward nodded. "Only exception, no one else."

"Fine, then don't tell James either." I snapped, somewhat annoyed.

He hesitated for a second and right before I was going to explode in an argument about double standards, Edward conceded.

Once it was obvious our talk was over we got up to leave and as soon as I moved the curtain out of the way James was standing right behind it, effectively scaring me and making me jump back. He openly sneered and I shoved passed him. This guy was no good. After saying good bye to everyone, Alice and I walked back to our own camp which happened to be on the edge of the woods. Whereas I had loved our location before it now made me feel very on edge. I couldn't help but wonder if the guy was watching us right now.


	5. Chapter 5

I hesitated before I left the tent. It was early morning; there was no sun but the sky was lighter than it had been last night. It was beautiful outside; everything was foggy and mystical and, thankfully, the sun's harsh rays were yet to reach the fresh morning air. I wanted to tell Alice where I was going in case she woke up but she looked peaceful in her sleep- I just didn't have the heart to disturb her.

The air was wonderful when I walked out, nothing like the afternoon's heat: the opposite, it was somewhat chilly. I liked it; it was refreshing.

This place was magical: little insects flew around the moss on the floor, the leaves on branches swayed delicately until a swift breeze blew them away, the sky was a calming blue. Thankfully, there were also plenty of thick bushes to pee behind. One thing I missed about the ark was the bathroom! On Earth, as beautiful as it is, I had to literally relieve myself behind a bush without any sanitary wipes. It was uncomfortable to say the least but, regardless-

 _SNAP!_

I heard a snap in the brush. I swung my head around, my perspective suddenly changing: the dim sky did little to offer me any light, it was too dark to see behind the towering trees and the air was sticky against my skin.

 _CRUNCH!_

I spun, there was someone here.

"Uhhh!"

A barreling figure body slammed me onto the cold, crunching leaves. My face hit the moist dirt, effectively blinding me for a few seconds and sending throbbing vibrations into my skull. I couldn't fucking breathe; my lungs were unable to take in any oxygen from the force of the impact and the massive weight currently pressing on my body.

The next second the man was whispering into my ear, his hot breath fanning the hair from my face. "Bitch. I can't wait until you're out of this camp."

He lifted himself off my body, allowing me to gasp for air, and, in the same instant he stood up, he grabbed a chunk of my hair and yanked it. Flame erupted on my head, exactly from the spot where he was pulling. I screamed in agony as I tried to get to my knees.

"Shut the fuck up!" He ordered as he knocked me back onto the ground by slamming his foot on my shoulders. A sharp sensation emitted itself from my cheek but nothing compared to the raging throb inside my head. Opening my eyes was useless- my vision was so blurry and everything seemed to be shifting despite my unmoving body.

"Don't scream or I'll kill you!" He threatened, gripping my arm and heaving me up towards him. He wouldn't let me face him and pressed my back against his front. I tried to focus but my body could barely stand. Then, I felt it in the middle of my back and all the blood drained from my head. Oh my, God, he was going to rape me.

With all the strength I could muster I elbowed him in the stomach and shrieked as loud as my voice would allow, "HELP! ALICE! HELP!" His grip loosened slightly but, of course, it wasn't enough and all I gained from that was being pushed into a tree.

I caught myself on a branch to keep from falling to the ground, scratching my arms and hands in the process. I barely felt it and shoved off the trunk as I ran from him. "HELP!" I screamed as I hauled ass. Oh fuck, I hoped I was screaming loud enough to be heard. I only made it three steps before he tackled me onto the ground again. "Shut up!" he commanded as he grabbed my neck and pulled me to my knees, his mouth against my ear again. "I'll choke you. You're going to fucking do what I tell you or you're going to die."

I wasn't that far from camp, just a few dozen yards. I prayed someone would hear me, if he was serious I'd be dead within the next ten minutes. I reached behind me and scraped my nails across his face. I knew I succeeded when he elicited a scream and I felt wetness on my hands.

"Bitch!" He punched me smack on the cheek, knocking the breath out of me and sending a truckload of pain. I landed on the ground, my eyes focusing on a petite figure in the tree line.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed.

I wanted to tell her to run and get help but my mouth wouldn't form any words. I put all my focus on breathing properly and getting on all fours as black dots obstructed my vision.

It was too late; she was already screaming for help as she ran towards me.

I was suddenly in an upright position as he pulled his arm around my neck, allowing only a sliver of oxygen to enter my lips.

"Stop screaming or I'll suffocate her!" He yelled as he tightened his hold on my neck. I scratched at his arms, I couldn't even take in any air at this point.

"James, you're fucking crazy! Edward will _murder_ you!" Alice seethed, about ten feet away.

Suddenly, he threw me to the side like a rag doll. I collided with the ground as I choked. I needed fucking air!

I looked up to see James had already tackled Alice and was grabbing her leg as she crawled away.

"No!" I yelled, scraping my throat clean.

I tried to get up but all my muscles were moving sluggishly. My balance was horrible; it took several steps to gain some sort of focus to the point where not every object danced in my vision. I desperately watched as the scene unfolded. Alice was doing her best to wriggle away from him but once he grabbed her hair I knew it was too late. I ran faster, heaving and stumbling in my state. He pulled himself up so he could kick her ribs.

"NO!" I screamed, only a few feet away now.

He shot one more blow to her stomach before turning on me and sending a powerful punch to the left side of my face.

I slammed to the ground instantly, blackness coating my vision.

"Bella!" I heard Alice gasp. She sounded far away.

My body ached, I wanted to cry but I could barely get enough oxygen to breathe. Every inch of my head was thrumming with pain, I felt like my brain had swelled to twice its size and was now battering every surface of my skull. I wheezed in every breath yet it was never enough. It felt like hours until I could gather the strength to open my eyes; James was holding Alice by the neck on a tree. She was screaming, her eyes wide but I couldn't hear anything apart from an obnoxious ringing. Focusing on them for too long hurt my eyes, I had to blink several times as I lied uselessly on the ground. Something wet was getting into my nose and I gagged, coughing.

Suddenly, a tan figure erupted from the forest, shoving James to the floor. Alice fell to her knees, clutching her neck as she heaved. The tan man repeatedly punched James' face, his blond hair bouncing in rhythm with his punches. Alice, thankfully, crawled away from them. James kicked him off and rolled, he would've gotten away but the other guy recovered quickly and lunged at him again with another blow to the face. They landed right beside me. I wasn't even capable of moving but James was thrown right into me, knocking his knee on my skull. All I felt was pain.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes, blinking slowly because they were unbearably heavy. I was clearly inside a tent but the duffel bag in the corner and ample amount of space assured me it wasn't mine. I tried to breathe evenly but my chest felt slightly constricted; however, it was nothing compared to the pressure inside my head or the throbbing on my face. Holy fuck, everything hurt. Moving was a battle, if I shifted my leg then my rib hurt but if I moved my arm then my shoulders complained. I sucked it up and managed to get in an upright position in the sleeping bag before I nearly fell over again from the surge of nausea. I sat there for several minutes controlling my breathing and slowly stretching my body to the point where I wasn't in torture.

Where was Alice? I remembered the horrible encounter with James in the woods. I was so fucking stupid: how could I have gone alone? It was so careless of me he could've killed me, or worse. If Alice hadn't gotten there when she did there was no doubt in my mind that he would've made me beg for death. My throat swelled as moisture welled up in my eyes. This was a horrible combination seeing as how I could barely breathe and was now battling salty tears.

I heard crunching outside the tent, I was instantly on defense. If James was here, he wouldn't hesitate to kill me while he had the chance. I knew he had a passionate hatred for me. More rustling. I reacted quickly but I failed just as fast. As soon as I placed pressure on my arm, it collapsed under me as my head swam. I was able to turn my body around to face the entrance of the tent as it opened. I didn't have any form of weapon and was in no state to even try to defend myself. Oh, god, please help me.

The flap of the tent opened and Rosalie emerged. An overwhelming relief coursed through me as I relaxed.

"Hey," She said, surveying my body and plopping onto the space beside me.

My mouth was incredibly dry and my throat felt like sandpaper. Regardless, I managed a reply, "Hi." I was at a loss for words, maybe my brain was too busy reliving the morning that it didn't want to focus on talking.

Rosalie's usually cool façade crumbled and genuine concern was etched on every angle of her face, "Bella, how are you feeling? You were out for _hours._ I brought some water."

I took the bottle she offered me but was sorely disappointed as the first gulp nearly shredded my throat apart. I opted for smaller sips afterwards. "I'm okay," I replied reflexively, "Where's Alice?" The images of James nearly murdering Alice flashed repetitively through my mind, if anything happened to her…

"Alice is doing well. She's a lot better than you so don't worry." I gave her a 'seriously' expression, wanting her to tell me all the details. Thankfully, she complied. "You seem to be the closest thing we have to a doctor but we noticed bruising on her ribs and arms. Her neck is, of course purple but she says breathing isn't a struggle. Minor scratches, too. That's all, though. She's obviously shaken up but she's mostly worried about you." She replied. Thank God! I guess she saw my relieved expression because she continued to tell me more good news. "Alice told us that that forest guy came out of nowhere, if it weren't for him I don't know what James would've done."

Forest guy? The forest guy, of course! His tan body had literally erupted from the woods, slamming into James and saving Alice. That didn't explain how I ended up in this tent, though.

"How did you find us?"

Rosalie cringed. "We heard Alice's screams. Emmett went to look for her and I got Edward and his crew. When we got there it was a fucking shit show. Bella, you looked dead; there was blood all over your face and your shirt was ripped apart. It didn't help that you were unconscious and Alice was crying over your body but we eventually figured out how to find your pulse. James was struggling with the forest guy and Emmett nearly killed the entire camp but Alice handled it and got everyone straightened out."

"Where, um, is he?" I asked, not wanting to say his name. The idea of him just creeped me out, it was a mixture of fear and rage.

Rosalie looked at me, "Well, he's also unconscious. When Emmett got to you and Alice, he assumed that the forest guy had killed you. In true Emmett fashion, he asked no questions and tackled the forest guy but he was having a real tough time fighting him off of James. At this point, James was trying to recover while Alice was trying to calm Emmett down and peel him away. You know how much of a hot head he can be, especially when it comes to Alice. Garrett finally got there and was trying to help James off the floor, getting him to explain what happened. Alice wouldn't even go near them so when Edward arrived Alice told him what James had done to you and her. As soon as he saw your body he fucking lost it. I got there in time to see Edward beating the shit out of James while Garrett tried to pull him off. Everyone eventually calmed down, thankfully. James was unconscious so they tied him to a seat in the ark and the forest guy is in there too, apparently he can't speak English."

That was intense. How did I manage to be knocked out through all of that? "Wow," I huffed out. It was definitely a chaotic image I had in my mind. It would've been worth it to see James pummeled, though. He was just so fucking psychotic, since the start he had given me really bad vibes. It was scary to think about how long he had been waiting outside my tent. Did he follow me into the woods? The thought made me cringe. How long had he been doing that, waiting for me to get out alone? The fact that the forest guy had saved us was equally insane, I couldn't help but wonder if he was the same guy from the river.

"Dude I'm really happy that you're okay and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that."

"Thanks," I replied. "I'm happy I'm okay, too."

"You've been asleep for hours, are you hungry or anything?" Rose asked. I didn't even have time to respond because she summarily rose from her seat and was out the tent, leaving me with a quick, "Be right back!"

I wasn't even hungry; I was just so damn tired. All I wanted to do was sleep. I lied back down and covered myself with all the blankets, hoping to quickly rest before she came back.

.

.

.

I woke up groggy and dehydrated. All I wanted at the moment was a massive container of water. I lied there, thirsty but comfortable as long as I didn't shift too much. After about ten minutes, my stomach growled. My hunger hadn't been a very big issue because of how thirsty I was. With an empty stomach and a dry mouth, I decided to try stretching my arms and legs out for a bit. The pain had slightly subsided, thankfully but I was sure I'd have bruises and scars. It was too dark inside the tent to see if there were any marks but I had no doubt that when I got outside I'd be able to see it. If I ever made it outside. I was incredibly disoriented and still had a raging headache. The last thing I wanted to do was walk, I was nearly positive I'd fall over. I contemplated calling out for help, surely someone would hear me but the idea was just overly embarrassing. I'm sure enough people were already talking about me, I didn't need to throw any more flames to the fire.

What felt like another ten minutes passed as I laid on my side with my stomach growling. I wanted to get out of this tent. The pain in my body had incredibly been assuaged; walking would be difficult but it'd be worth it if it meant I'd get food. I just didn't want to see anyone as I stumbled around like a newborn gazelle. This entire situation sucked. I wish I had never walked out of my tent this morning. If I had just stayed inside, then James would not have been bold enough to accost me.

Rustling from outside the tent had me instantly upright. I was momentarily shocked that this movement didn't have me lie back down in pain but, aside from my swimming head and woozy vision, it wasn't as overwhelming as it had been earlier. I couldn't dwell too long on my physical state because the tent door was being unzipped.

Edward's tall frame entered the tent. His height made him too tall to stand fully so he crouched forward, knees slightly bent. He seemed a bit preoccupied considering he had several water containers and food packets in his hand. Moments later, he looked up at me and faltered. A few things fell from his arms and he shoved everything else into a corner and came to sit by my side.

"Bella, I can't believe you're awake. How do you feel?" He tried to examine my body in the dim light, clearly failing but this didn't halter his concern.

"I'm okay, I feel better." My voice came out raspy, I tried to clear it but my mouth was like sandpaper. "I'm just really thirsty, my mouth feels so dry."

He nodded, snatching up his canteen and offering it to me. "You've been out for three days, Bella. You had us scared as fuck. We didn't know if you were in a coma or anything."

I chugged the water down gratefully but at the mention of being unconscious for three days, I nearly choked. "How's Alice? Where's James? And what happened to the forest guy?" I couldn't believe how long I'd been gone, I missed practically everything! Ugh!

"Bella, calm down. Everything's fine. We'll talk while you eat, you're hungry right?" Edward began sifting through food boxes. I could tell they were his left overs and felt slightly guilty for eating his food. He didn't seem to mind as he gave me three and a fork. "Eat."

I didn't have to be told twice.

"How's Alice?" I asked around a mouthful of potatoes.

"She's great, just worried about you." Edward avoided my eyes as his voice wandered off. There was more to it but he didn't let me dwell on that as he quickly changed the topic.

"James is still in the ark. Bella, before I tell you this I just want to let you know that I don't believe him for a second; but he's telling everyone that you instigated the fight. There are rumors that you're in a coma and I think he's betting on you not waking up. Alice is, of course, outraged along with mostly everyone. James denies all of Alice's claims and he's trying to use self-defense as an excuse."

That asshole.

"What's his story?" I demanded.

Edward sighed, "He's saying that you followed him into the woods that morning. You attacked him out of nowhere as he was looking for a bush. He tried to hold you off but then you started scratching him and throwing punches so he did his best to defend himself. When Alice came she tried to help you jump him."

"That's ludicrous!" I yelled.

He nodded, "Yeah, I know. Most people don't believe him either. He's fucking crazy; he tried to convince the forest guy the same thing but he doesn't even speak English."

"Yeah, that sounds like James." I huffed. "So what are you doing with the forest guy? All I remember is James choking Alice and then him tackling James. He's not an enemy, Edward."

Edward rubbed his jaw, "Well, a lot of people are worried that there are others. They want us to get rid of him in case they come searching for him but my concern is figuring out where the rest of his kind is. It's not a coincidence that he was there at the exact time James attacked you. What if he was following you? That doesn't sit well with any of us. Besides, we haven't questioned him much after we realized he pretty much doesn't know any English. You and Alice can go there tomorrow morning to see if he'll communicate better with you."

I nodded, "Sounds good."

Despite my rather loud chewing, Edward didn't seem discomforted in the slightest. The opposite, his eyes softened and he spoke genuinely, "Bella, I'm so fucking sorry. I should've done something about James when he pushed you and Alice off the ark. I didn't realize how bat shit crazy he was. If I had done something then, maybe he would've backed off you or-"

"Edward, I don't blame you for what he did. Granted, you definitely should've reacted better but I already forgave you for that. Rosalie came in here and she told me how angry you got when you saw what happened, so thank you for believing Alice and tying him up in the ark. He's a time bomb that can't be loose here." I could tell he felt guilty and, despite the fact that I had loathed his decision to leave James unpunished earlier, none of us could have guessed that he was capable of any of this.

My words weren't enough to give him much comfort but he managed a smile, dismissing his guilt.

"Can I ask you what happened? James obviously isn't telling the truth and Alice only knows her perspective." Edward asked.

I openly relayed the incident, beginning with needing to pee and ending with blacking out. I included the part where Rosalie came in the tent to visit me only to be stunned when Edward told me that happened two nights ago. I was shook as fuck, so much time had passed! Edward informed me that Stefan had been doing his best to take care of the lake victims in my absence. Thankfully, no one needed to be stitched up or anything equally dire.

After about a half hour of talking and nearly two entirely empty tubs of left overs, Edward switched the topic.

"I also wanted to let you know that Jessica and I aren't anything. She made it seem like we were dating or something and we're not. I wouldn't do that to my girlfriend."

Right.

"Okay, Edward. I'm not going to give you shit for that, it's your business. Alice told me that Jessica, putting it bluntly, is a whore so I don't really sympathize with her too much but, dude, that was still pretty creep. Regardless, it's not my business."

He looked like he wanted to say more but, after a moment of thought, he dismissed the topic as well.

"So, it's pretty late. I'm kind of tired so I'm going to go to bed, are you all good in here?"

I nodded, appreciatively. "Thank you, Edward."

He smiled crookedly, "Of course. Get some rest because tomorrow you're going to have to confront James and talk to the forest guy. Alice is going to be thrilled when she finds out you're awake and I know everyone else will be too. I'll try to be here early."

After he left, I remained alone with my dread of seeing James the following day.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Bella, are you awake yet?" Edward asked, sticking his head inside the tent. I could see a few heads milling outside, all attempting to peer in.

As promised, he arrived bright and early. I sighed, finally feeling well rested now that the thrumming in my head was just a dull throb. "I am now," I grinned. I didn't particularly react kindly to being woken up; regardless, even I couldn't deny my excitement to see Alice and everyone else. It also made me feel pretty good that they cared about my well-being.

"Great!" Edward called, tossing me my book bag before zipping the tent closed.

Bless him, although I had a sneaking suspicion that Alice may have been behind filling my bag with goodies. Water and a change of clothes were much appreciated and, after tying up my shoe laces, I tried to stand. At first, my legs were a bit shaky but I regained my balance quickly and managed to stand at my full height. I stretched; my muscles were certainly sore but my body appreciated the movement.

I walked towards the tent to unzip it, as soon as the flap fell away I noticed two things. First, it was incredibly bright outside. I had to squint at the sun's radiance after being unexposed to it for days. Second, Alice's petite body was barreling in between people as she struggled to get through the breakfast crowd. Her destination: me. I braced myself, expecting a brutal impact but was relieved when she slowed down and hugged me warmly.

"I'm so happy you're awake!"

"Thanks, Alice, I am too. How are you feeling?" I pulled away from her embrace to examine her. As expected there was nasty green bruising on her neck and a few more down the side of her arms. A few scratches were scattered throughout her body.

"Nothing hurts if I don't touch it, don't worry about me Bella. Honestly, you look dreadful." She took my chin in her hand and I resisted the urge to wince. Just like she said, nothing hurt if you didn't touch it. "Honestly, Bella, you're still slightly swollen and you have bruising everywhere! I'm sure your long sleeve is hiding a lot but we'll get Stefan to check you out because, truthfully, I don't know what I'm doing it just looks bad. Maybe he'll give you something for your face? Does it hurt? Bella your eye is red and your cheek is like a green blue color! I'm so sorry I didn't get there in time, if-"

I took her wrists before she could prod me any further, "Alice, breathe. I'm thankful you came at all. Honestly, you're an idiot for even approaching us and I wish you hadn't because that little shit fucked up your neck but, ultimately, thank you. It doesn't hurt too much, please stop worrying, my ribs are killing me but it's nothing compared to before. I can manage it and I'll take a look at myself later, if you want Stefan there that's fine but trust me, I'm not going to let myself die." I made an attempt for lighthearted humor at the end but Alice was not having it. Worse, people were staring at me. I needed to look in a mirror.

"Well you've seen better days." Emmett said gruffly as he approached us with Rosalie and Edward by his side.

"Fuck, Bella," Edward took my head in his hands, angling it so that he could obtain a better perspective of all my battered angles. I avoided eye contact with him and practically everyone else. I knew this would happen but that doesn't make it any less humiliating.

"Does it hurt?" he mumbled.

"No," I replied instantaneously.

"Bullshit." Emmett stated.

 _Obviously!_

"I can handle it." I amended.

Edward dropped his hands, fisting them together.

Rosalie stepped in front of him, "Stefan said he'd be willing to take a look at your ribs if you want. We made a tent dedicated to med supplies, like an infirmary. Want to go?"

I nodded, "Yeah, let's see if there's anything for bruising."

Alice was ever so eager, "Oh, there is! It's wonderful! I used only a bit because we had to ration it. It's like a cream that goes deeper than the skin and into your bones, we used it for my ribs. I think you might need it too."

"I bet she's hungry, we should eat breakfast first." Emmett interjected.

Rosalie laughed, "Oh how thoughtful, are you sure you're not looking after your own interests?"

He feigned innocence, "What? Of course not, Bella needs to nourish her body in order to fully recover."

"Right, babe, let's go feed Bella." Rosalie joked, winking at me.

It was settled, we were going to eat first and then seek out Stefan to see if the same cream would help me. Throughout the meal several people wished me a good recovery and, despite the blatant gawking from mostly everyone, I appreciated the support. Afterwards, I received the same treatment on the way to the infirmary.

"Stefan, we're back!" Rosalie called.

A spacious tent had both flaps open, welcoming anyone that entered. Two sleeping bags were made on the right side. I assumed those were for victims in critical conditions. To the left were tables and a few chairs, Stefan was seated in one as he counted syringes. Cubbies on tables held medical supplies and I was both surprised and grateful at the abundance.

"Aye! Look who's up and running!" Stefan exclaimed as we entered, moving to side hug me. I clenched my teeth to not yell out in pain.

After he didn't release me quick enough, I stepped away. "Still a bit sore." I explained.

"Well," he said, moving towards one of the containers. "I have just the thing." He pulled out a white tub and put some gloves on. "Here," Popping the lid open, he scooped out some of the cream inside and placed it in a tiny circular container for me.

"Thank you," I said.

He nodded, "Just rub it where there's bruising."

I pocketed it, opting to apply it privately. "Thank you."

"Want me to look at your ribs? Alice said they were pretty screwed."

I shook my head. "I appreciate it but I'll be okay."

Once it was clear we were done and had resulted to small talk, Edward laid his hand on my shoulder, "Are you ready to see James?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

.

.

.

It was pretty surreal walking up the steps of the ark –the same steps James had previously thrown me off of. I knew exactly who was waiting for me inside and all I could feel was anger. This was all his damn fault; just looking ahead of me into the back of Alice's bruised neck was an instant reminder of his barbarism. How fucking dare he? I didn't have anything against him whatsoever; yet, as soon as he saw me, he made it his mission to seek some sort of vengeance against me. What the fuck. Worst, I felt defeated. He had not only beat the shit out of me, but he touched Alice. I felt culpable and I couldn't shake it off.

Felix and Garrett came with us to assure maximum safety against both James and the forest guy. I was thankful for them trailing us, the last thing I wanted was for James to believe that he had the slightest opportunity of escaping. After making it to the first floor of the ark, we continued our way to the third where both James and the forest guy were being held. Unfortunately for me, that meant I had to trudge up two latters. Admittedly, the strain it put on my shoulders, ribs, and arms was horrible but I refused to voice those complaints. Edward surely noticed, though, and discreetly followed my pace without mention.

"Thanks," I muttered, already out of breath once we got to the very top.

"Of course," he replied. I really appreciated the fuck out of him right now.

My sentiments were interrupted the moment I heard Alice gasp.

Shooting my eyes forward I took in the sight before me. James was tied up to one of the pipes on the edge of the wall. They didn't allow him the comfort of a chair so he lied sprawled across the floor as he slept with his arms raised slightly above him. On the other side of the room was the reason for Alice's shock: the forest guy stood at his full height, wire chains restraining him to _five_ wall pipes. He was slightly shorter than Edward but had more muscle; a lot more muscle: his chest was absolutely bare, showcasing both the rippled abdominal muscles on his stomach as well as his sculpted biceps, one of which was sporting wicked ink. His tan skin which could have otherwise been considered beautiful was a rancid sight. Gashes had been made on the sides of his stomach, causing blood to drip down to his peculiar, fur-like slacks and shoes. His chest was no better with what resembled whip marks in several areas. My suspicions were confirmed with the evidence no less than three feet away: the blood stained wires.

"How could you do this?" Alice exclaimed, rushing forward to the forest guy.

Before she could move more than two feet, Emmett had his arms wrapped around her middle.

I was instantaneously livid.

"Who did this?" I pointed to the victim. Out of my peripheral I could see James waking up but he was efficiently ignored.

The forest guy shifted his focus from the metal ground to us. His blue eyes were stoic, not revealing any emotion.

"Bella, calm down-" Edward began but I was quick to cut him off.

"No!" I pointed my finger at the forest guy. "He saved us, Edward! He didn't know if James had a gun and he sure as hell didn't know us, but he did it anyway! You don't do this to people, Edward, he's _human_." I moved around Emmett's form to approach the forest guy and was faced with another human obstacle: Rosalie.

I tried to side step around her but she followed my motion.

"Move." I said through gritted teeth.

She positioned her feet shoulder-width apart. "No. Bella, you don't know him. He literally came out of nowhere and you expect us to throw him a tent and invite him to our next campfire?"

"What the fuck, Rosalie? I don't expect any of that! All I expected was that in my absence you all would be capable of displaying a single shred of humanity! Tie him up, what do I care? We can debate the dangers he poses later but we do not torture humans like that! Look at him! He's defenseless here! Yet you whipped him," I changed my focus to also place some blame on Edward, Emmett, Felix, and Garrett. "You beat him and shredded his skin apart!" I gave them all individual eye contact. "You did all that just like James did to Alice and I." I barked out at Edward in specific, I knew he was the unannounced leader on the ground. "Ironically enough, James seems to be in better condition than him as he takes a fucking nap on the floor while he's strung up like an animal!" I didn't even know Edward anymore and spat venom in every syllable.

Thankfully, at least Emmett had the decency to look ashamed and released Alice who quickly came to my side. I noticed Garrett was also looking quite uncomfortable. Felix was looking at Edward who, unsurprisingly, had a whole textbook written on why he was right. "Bella, we don't know him! He wouldn't communicate with us at all when we-" I could detect some insecurity behind his eyes but the confidence in his voice would never reveal it.

I interrupted his bullshit midway, "When you what? Tied him up for saving Alice and I? Or when you whipped him like an animal? Do you even hear yourself? I can't blame him for not wanting to cooperate when you were on the receiving end." It's like he was a completely different person.

I gave Alice a sharp look, "Get Stefan and tell him to bring a first aid kit. I need you to get cloths, something warm, water, and food. I'm going to stay here and make sure they don't hurt him any more."

Alice was quick, rushing to the exit. Thankfully, Edward didn't try to stop her. A moment of silence followed. Hopefully they were all pondering their actions, attempting to see where they went wrong. It serves them right; they should be ashamed of themselves.

Unfortunately, it was interrupted.

"So, the princess awakens." James muttered darkly.

I resisted the urge to cringe at his voice.

The same voice that promised me death.

" _ **Don't scream or I'll kill you!" He threatened, gripping my arm and heaving me up towards him. He wouldn't let me face him and pressed my back against his front. I tried to focus but my body could barely stand. Then, I felt it in the middle of my back and all the blood drained from my head. Oh my, God, he was going to rape me.**_

" _ **HELP!" I screamed as I hauled ass. Oh fuck, I hoped I was screaming loud enough to be heard. I only made it three steps before he tackled me onto the ground again. "Shut up!" he commanded as he grabbed my neck and pulled me to my knees, his mouth against my ear again. "I'll choke you. You're going to fucking do what I tell you or you're going to die."**_

My back was to him and I took a moment to clench my eyes shut at the onslaught of memories. I breathed through my nose and then opened my eyes. Edward raised his hand, moving to touch my shoulder in some sort of gesture of support but I flinched away from him. That was a torture inflicting hand and, right now, it was not anything near what I needed. I shot steely eyes his way, promising castration if he touched me, and then spun to face James with my chin held high.

"No thanks to you."

He chuckled. The _audacity._ "You look marvelous, Bella, as usual." He raked his eyes over my body, landing on my face which I knew displayed the most evidence of our encounter.

"Fuck you." I growled, enraged by his utter lack of remorse. He was _reveling_ in my pain. Alice's pain. "You're sick." I seethed. I couldn't deny the satisfaction I felt when seeing his purpled face and slacked form. I knew he was also suffering.

James went from bored to psychotic in seconds, banging on the pipes that were holding him in place. "LET ME GO! AHH!" he pounded with his feet against the floor and pulled against the wiring on his wrists. For a moment I feared he might get loose but that moment was forgotten once Stefan came in.

"Bella, Stefan is right behind me. We brought everything you asked for." Alice had an enormous bundle on her back and she set it down in front of the forest guy. Emmett shadowed her, inches away and his eyes on the forest guy.

I settled my entire attention on the forest guy, ignoring James' mental breakdown.

"Bella," Edward tried again.

Big mistake.

"Dude, back off. I don't even know you." I didn't even wait for his reply and opened the first aid kit Stefan brought me.

"Cut the cords." I told Stefan.

He obliged, snatching the scissors off the kit and cutting the first wire.

"Stop that!" Felix boomed, snatching the scissors from Stefan's grip. "If you cut another one he's strong enough to get away."

In that moment it took the remaining shred of tolerance I had to not strangle him. "Felix, let him cut the cords while you tie some around his wrists. He's been standing for days; I'm not going to leave him like this." I moved towards him to take the scissors and he was immediately defensive.

"No," He snatched his hand back and moved no less than four inches from my face. "You're letting him-"

"Let her, Felix. He can't outfight all of us." Edward stated.

The finality in his voice was enough for me to pry the scissors from Felix's grip. I gave them back to Stefan while I offered one of the water canteens for Alice. "Help him drink and eat, I'll clean him up a bit." She moved fluidly, taking both towards him. Meanwhile, I took the rags she brought me and soaked them in water. I wiped down his arms, chest, neck, back, and face. Admittedly, the movement involved strained my body, especially my arms. I was already sore and I knew this was worsening my state but I felt like I owed it to this guy to, at the very least, help him out after he saved my life. Most impressive, throughout this process he didn't utter a word, not even when the wires were all cut. He didn't even move. Once he was free, I could sense the tension in the room. Everyone was on edge, ready for him to snap. Alice and I would be the easiest targets since we were the closest; yet, he only opened his eyes and stared down at us. Eventually, when I decided he was clean enough, I tried to explain to him the pain that would ensue.

"Okay, I'm going to disinfect your cuts." I held up the clear liquid with the swabs I would be using to dab his skin with. "I'm also going to stich a few up." I showed him the sewing kit. "It's going to sting a bit okay?"

He stared back at me, not caring. Alice poked his cheek for the next bite of food and he turned towards her, mouth open. I'm guessing that was the best response I was going to get.

"We told you he doesn't speak English." Rosalie muttered.

"That's not the point," I snapped. "He hears my tone."

I ignored them and continued with him. I was halfway through disinfecting and wrapping four chest wounds when I finally reached a pretty nasty cut on his bicep. It had been covered in grime before but now that it was clean, all his flesh was on display. I chose the sharpest needle I could get, knowing it would need to be stitched. I placed it in front of his eyes and then poked his arm so he'd somehow understand me. I cleaned it, tied a knot on it, and began weaving his cut closed. Still no display of any pain. He was tough.

"Okay, we need to get him to kneel or something because I can't properly stitch the ones on his upper back, they're too high." I told Alice.

She nodded and together we pressed our weight on his shoulders, trying to get him to sit. I motioned with my fingers toward the ground and said, "Sit." He complied instantly and in that moment I knew he had been bullshitting everyone the entire time; he was perfectly capable of understanding English. As I pointed towards the ground he wasn't comprehending anything but as soon as I said sit he obliged instantly. Once he noticed my pause, we exchanged a knowing look but I didn't verbalize any of it. Obviously, I wasn't going to share this information with Edward but maybe I'd somehow be able to get him alone long enough to try to talk to him. I continued with stitching his body together. Once I finished, Alice and I draped some blankets around him for warmth, he didn't even own a shirt but I was positive no one his size would be willing to sacrifice their already limited selection of clothing.

"Now that he's all bundled up and toasty, are you going tell me why the fuck we shouldn't kill him?" Felix demanded.

I was appalled, storming in his direction. Alice, thankfully, caught my wrist. "Bella, calm down."

After a moment of recollecting myself I replied to Felix as evenly as I could manage with the fury circulating my veins. "Felix, I'm not sure what part of 'he saved our lives' you're not understanding. Are you fucking dense? We're not going to kill him; we're going to-"

"What?" he barked. "You're going to try talking to him, like we already did? He doesn't speak-"

"He understands English!" I erupted. "I was talking to him and he understood me, he didn't talk back but he knew what I was saying!" I was beyond angry at that point. "If you hadn't been so fucking savage then maybe he would have cooperated with you!"

Felix along with everyone else in the room was shocked.

My face was hot and everything was silent until James spoke, "Well, well, well, good job Princess."

I huffed, "Everyone except Alice, leave."

No one moved. Finally, Edward approached me, "Bella you can't expect us to leave you and Alice alone in a room with him," He pointed to the forest guy. "And him." He pointed to James.

I crossed my arms. "That's exactly what I expect, Edward. He's clearly not going to talk with any of you guys here. He only listened to Alice and I. Frankly, I don't blame him, but if that's the only way he's going to respond then that's how it has to be. It'll only be for a little and you can be right outside the door."

Edward looked conflicted, I knew that he could understand that this was what made logical sense but his eyes exhumed the inner hesitancy he felt.

"No way!" Emmett boomed. "I'm not leaving _my sister_ alone with them, Edward, what the fuck?"

Before he could reply, Alice beat him to it. "Emmett, don't be irrational! We'll be absolutely fine and I'm not asking you for permission so get over it."

Soon after, they all filed out of the room with a few mumbled protests but nothing more.

"We'll be right outside." Emmett uttered before we slammed the door shut.

"You really shouldn't have done that." The forest guy said, displaying his loose wires. I could hear James mutter "Oh, shit."

Alice and I held our breath. For some odd reason, I didn't feel threatened. He was still sitting down on the floor a few yards away and made no attempt to move. "In what world do two young girls like you two trust us enough to be in a room alone? I'm not trying to insult either of you but, in my mind, that wasn't smart at all." He continued while stretching his arms in front of him. I noted his English had a drawl to it.

"I think I trusted Felix to tie better knots." I replied evenly.

"That boy couldn't tie a knot to save his life." He commented.

Alice bounded over to him, "Why did you save us?"

I was momentarily shocked that she so easily trusted him with her life. Of course, he did save us but he was also tied up and probably trying to think of any way to escape. I decided to stand close to the door in case something did happen and we needed help.

The forest guy, for the first time, managed to display some level of emotion: surprise. "Well, you were being attacked. I couldn't let him kill you."

"Were you the guy by the river stream?" I blurted, recalling when Alice and I were followed back to camp by a stranger. "Is that how you knew where our camp was?"

He thought before responding, "Yes. I want to clarify that I wasn't just watching you girls bathe, you actually stole something quite important from my people and you were being hunted. You ought to be grateful that it was me that day, otherwise I'm not sure what would have happened."

I was alert, "We didn't steal anything, what are you talking about?"

"Your necklace," he stated dryly. I had completely forgotten about it up until this point. "It's valuable and belongs to the leaders of our tribe. There are only three and they know you took it."

I blanched, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea. I'll give it back." I began untying it from my neck, ready to hand it over but he was shaking his head.

"Well, I've been gone for days. My village is already searching for me and I can assure you they know where I am. I, however, do not want any conflicts, which they know. Despite what your people have done to me, I want to see this out as peacefully as possible. I see that you also have power and that boy is not the only leader. I trust that you can agree to a peaceful resolution. I must warn you that we are a somewhat violent village, known for our brute strength. I will do everything in my power to assure we will all be unharmed." As he spoke, my heart filled with dread. I was understanding the severity of the situation more, seeing the consequences of all our actions and I was terrified.

"We're so terribly sorry, we'll do all we can to convince them to give you back." Alice encouraged.

I prayed we did, otherwise I wasn't sure how we'd survive.

"I believe that returning me as soon as possible would be in your best interests." He replied.

She nodded, "You're right."

"What a load of shit," James groaned. "He's taking advantage of both of you. Do you honestly believe what he's feeding you?"

Forest guy shot a steely gaze towards James but then continued to ignore him, "I also want to warn you that we're not the only villages in the forest. There are countless more and, most importantly, there are the Cracks: the reason my village prides itself on its army. The Cracks were once human, but after making the trip up to the peak of Mount Meyer, they came back as crazed cannibals. I urge you to watch out for them, build up your walls and stick together. They often travel as groups so don't go wandering for water alone anymore. They tend to stick close by rivers since they know it will lead them to villages and they also prefer caves because that's where they live."

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Are you guys done in there! Times up!" Emmett boomed from the door.

"Get me out as soon as possible, for the sake of your people." He warned as he returned to slip his wrists into the lousy restraints.

"We will." Alice replied, offering him more water.

"What's your name?" I questioned before we'd have to leave.

"Jasper."

The boys came busting through the entrance of the room, looking around as if they expected to be met with a battle scene.

"What happened?" Edward asked.

I looked at Alice offering Jasper water before replying to Edward. "We all need to have a chat." I said. "Away from here," I added once I made eye contact with James.

.

.

.

I relayed the conversation I had with Jasper to Edward, Felix, Stefan, Alice, Rosalie, Eleazer, Jason, Garrett, and Emmett. Edward insisted on all his friends being present and I was surely not going to protest so we all gathered in the large tent where we could all fit. Their responses were an array of disbelief, anger, and fear. I tried to be as understanding as possible because I knew that I, ultimately, would have to figure out a way to convince them to let Jasper go. I just prayed they were feeling generous.

"What does that mean for us?" Jason asked. I only met him today and he struck me as a compassionate person, more so than Stefan. He had thus far agreed with all my opinions as I spoke which I wholeheartedly appreciated.

"We have to give him back." I stated firmly.

"Why would he do that? So he can tell all his friends where we live? No way." Felix shot back, shaking his head.

I could see that Garrett seemed to be agreeing with him so I decided to reply quickly, not letting his words settle any further. "His village already knows where we live. Whether we give him back or not, they already know we're here; that's no longer the problem. The issue now is that they're pissed we took their friend and want to retaliate. They're going to want a war if we don't give him back because they'll fight for him. If we kill him, we're mega screwed because he won't be able to vouch for us. If we give him back peacefully we're showing that we don't want a war and we're really fucking sorry."

Thankfully, they all pondered over my response, weighing our options.

"What makes you so sure that he's not going to run back to his village and return with an army?" Garret asked.

"Two things. First, he said he doesn't want a conflict and I believe him. Lives shouldn't be wasted. Second, if we return him to his village and he goes back on his word by returning with an army, at that point we'll be provoked enough to engage in a war but we really have no fucking clue what we'd be doing so I hope that doesn't happen. None of us have any combat experience so, aside from our guns, we'd be fucked. A war is the last thing we'd want happening." I answered.

"She's right."

I think the heavens opened from above and hell froze over because Edward just agreed with me. He was seated beside me on my left and even I could see the shock expressed on the faces of those around us.

"We'll give him back after we sentence James." He continued.

I wanted to face palm myself. _So close._ "Edward, I'm all for condemning James but we need to prioritize here. We can do that afterwards."

"No." Emmett said. "He needs to pay for what he's done and we need to make sure that everyone knows they can't get away with that."

"Float him." Garrett mumbled.

"What should his punishment be?" Felix asked.

"Water duty?"

"No food for a week?"

"Incarceration."

Several responses were passed around but they, truthfully all sucked.

Alice spoke up brilliantly. "Kick him out of camp. Take his tent and his sleeping bag and leave him with nothing but the clothes on his back to fend for himself in the forest. He's clearly displayed that he can't peacefully coexist here and, truthfully, he's a menace to not only Bella and I but other people. He can't live here anymore, if he comes back he'll be trespassing and you guys can do whatever you want to him."

"I second that." I said smiling. We shouldn't waste our resources on him and with the Cracks out there, he'll see what a blessing this camp really was. "Anyone opposed?" I asked.

No one uttered an objection.


End file.
